In this section
- Councils are the key
- Darebin leads the way
- The movement goes global
- What is the Climate Emergency
- How councils can support the campaign
- Implementing an Emergency Response
- Step 1. - Recognise / Acknowledge the Climate Emergency
- Step 2. - Review your strategic plan
- Step 3. - Create a foundation for Climate Emergency action
- Step 4. - Implement the strategy and declare a Climate Emergency
- What is not in a Climate Emergency plan
Councils are the key
With the failure of state and federal governments to respond effectively to global warming councils can play a leading role in responding to global warming by setting safe climate goals and targets, implementing local programs, lobbying state and federal governments, and encouraging other councils to do the same.
A great example of what is possible is at local government level and even state level by Republican Major of Lancaster Rex Paris where he has zero energy homes. electric buses and led street lights (See his speech at Los Angeles Climate Justice Mobilization 2025 launch).
You can hear Philip Sutton from the RSTI (Research and Strategy for Transition Initiation Inc.) and Councillor Trent McCarthy from Darebin Council make a case why it is critical for councils to adopt a Climate Emergency response in a recording of CACE's first event "How councils can reverse global warming: Exploring the critical role" held at the 2017 Sustainable Living Festival in Melbourne.
Philip Sutton has also written a paper entitled Local-first implementation making the case for why it is critical for councils to adopt a Climate Emergency response and how this fits into the broader Climate Emergency / Safe Climate campaign.
A great example of what is possible is at local government level and even state level by Republican Major of Lancaster Rex Paris where he has zero energy homes. electric buses and led street lights (See his speech at Los Angeles Climate Justice Mobilization 2025 launch).
You can hear Philip Sutton from the RSTI (Research and Strategy for Transition Initiation Inc.) and Councillor Trent McCarthy from Darebin Council make a case why it is critical for councils to adopt a Climate Emergency response in a recording of CACE's first event "How councils can reverse global warming: Exploring the critical role" held at the 2017 Sustainable Living Festival in Melbourne.
Philip Sutton has also written a paper entitled Local-first implementation making the case for why it is critical for councils to adopt a Climate Emergency response and how this fits into the broader Climate Emergency / Safe Climate campaign.
Darebin leads the way
Darebin, a council located in the Northern suburbs of Melbourne, has led the way on the Climate Emergency.
On December the 5th 2016, at the urging of local climate groups, the newly elected Councillors recognised we are in a Climate Emergency at their very first meeting. The motion was "Council recognises that we are in a state of climate emergency that requires urgent action by all levels of government, including by local councils." MOVED: Cr. Trent McCarthy SECONDED: Cr. Steph Amir
Link to original minutes (see 2016, December 5th, Minutes, p.46).
Since then Darebin Council has begun to prepare their emergency response by adopting a range of initiatives including:
Follow this link if you want to find out more about the ongoing campaign in Darebin
On December the 5th 2016, at the urging of local climate groups, the newly elected Councillors recognised we are in a Climate Emergency at their very first meeting. The motion was "Council recognises that we are in a state of climate emergency that requires urgent action by all levels of government, including by local councils." MOVED: Cr. Trent McCarthy SECONDED: Cr. Steph Amir
Link to original minutes (see 2016, December 5th, Minutes, p.46).
Since then Darebin Council has begun to prepare their emergency response by adopting a range of initiatives including:
- required a redrafting of their Climate Change Action plan
- provided input to a federal government review of vehicle emission standards
- approved the first public electric car charges in Darebin
- included the climate emergency in the first sentence of their strategic plan (December 2017)
- adopted a climate emergency plan (August 2017)
- choose to establish Climate Emergency Darebin as an entity to facilitate the implementation of the Darebin Climate Emergency Plan (February 2018)
- Climate Emergency Darebin advisory committee first meeting. (April 2018)
Follow this link if you want to find out more about the ongoing campaign in Darebin
The movement goes global
Since then a number of council's around the world inspired by Darebin's lead have acknowledge that we are in a climate emergency and one council, City of Los Angeles California voted for a report into City's legislative and budget analysts of the establishment of a "Climate Emergency Mobilization Department" on the 1st of May 2018.
Los Angeles is proposing to establish "a Climate Emergency Mobilization Department with all powers to plan and coordinate all of the City's climate and resilience responses" including "emergency climate mitigation" and "resilience and adaptation programs". The department would " would have authority over other City Departments. "
Their plan for "emergency public education and an outreach stakeholder process" is impressive and includes the plan to engage with:
i. Mayor’s Sustainability and Resilience Offices
ii. Scientists, social and environmental justice advocates
iii. Local labor unions and union federation
iv. Neighborhood Council Sustainability Alliance
v. Local Non-Governmental Organizations
vi. Neighborhood councils vii. Homeowners’ associations
viii. Business groups.
Los Angeles is proposing to establish "a Climate Emergency Mobilization Department with all powers to plan and coordinate all of the City's climate and resilience responses" including "emergency climate mitigation" and "resilience and adaptation programs". The department would " would have authority over other City Departments. "
Their plan for "emergency public education and an outreach stakeholder process" is impressive and includes the plan to engage with:
i. Mayor’s Sustainability and Resilience Offices
ii. Scientists, social and environmental justice advocates
iii. Local labor unions and union federation
iv. Neighborhood Council Sustainability Alliance
v. Local Non-Governmental Organizations
vi. Neighborhood councils vii. Homeowners’ associations
viii. Business groups.
What is the Climate Emergency
The Climate Emergency has resulted from humans putting additional greenhouse gases in our atmosphere. These have heated our planet and at current levels are already a true disaster on a global scale. Unless removed, these gases will result in a degree of global warming that will be catastrophic for humanity and much of the world's remaining ecosystems.
An ethical and moral response to this emergency would be based around the goal of maximum protection of human and non-human life. Maximum protection would mean creating a global cooling as soon as possible.
The create a global cooling we need to:
1. reduce our emissions to as close to zero as possible in all sectors of our economy, including energy, agriculture, land use, and industrial process; and
2. draw down past emissions.
Councils can play a range of key roles in achieving this (see below).
We must successfully reverse global warming and create a global cooling. According to Philip Sutton from RSTI (Research and Strategy for Transition Initiation Inc.)*, even if we stabilise temperatures at the Paris Agreement’s best case cap of +1.5°C, this will:
* see Philip Sutton's paper Local-first implementation page 12
An ethical and moral response to this emergency would be based around the goal of maximum protection of human and non-human life. Maximum protection would mean creating a global cooling as soon as possible.
The create a global cooling we need to:
1. reduce our emissions to as close to zero as possible in all sectors of our economy, including energy, agriculture, land use, and industrial process; and
2. draw down past emissions.
Councils can play a range of key roles in achieving this (see below).
We must successfully reverse global warming and create a global cooling. According to Philip Sutton from RSTI (Research and Strategy for Transition Initiation Inc.)*, even if we stabilise temperatures at the Paris Agreement’s best case cap of +1.5°C, this will:
- fail to prevent the Pacific and Indian Ocean atoll nations from being permanently flooded; fail to prevent permanent flooding of low-lying, heavily populated areas (Bangladesh, Vietnam, China, Egypt, etc. where over 100 million people live);
- fail to prevent the destruction of coral reefs around the world including the Great Barrier Reef;
- fail to prevent the mobilisation of the huge carbon stores in the Arctic (that will cause releases of CO2 and methane that could exceed the emissions from all fossil fuels so far);
- fail to provide food security; and
- fail to provide a foundation for military security and positive peace.
* see Philip Sutton's paper Local-first implementation page 12
How councils can support the campaign
Councils can support the campaign to reverse global warming and create a global cooling in three key ways.
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UpwardSidewaysDownward |
Lobbying state and federal governments to adopt and fund a Climate Emergency response
Encouraging other councils to implement a Climate Emergency response through their networks and by leading by example
Local action through education, mitigation and resilience building
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Councils will not be able to reverse global warming by themselves, but working in these three directions will help encourage state and federal governments to act while councils undertake meaningful practical actions.
Implementing an Emergency Response
Below is an outline of actions that councils can adopt if they wish to implement a Climate Emergency response.
- Recognise the Climate Emergency
- Review your strategic plan
- Create a foundation for Climate Emergency action
- Implement your plan and Declare a Climate Emergency
Step 1. - Publicly acknowledge the Climate Emergency
A first action is to pass a motion in council recognising the Climate Emergency. Darebin Council acknowledge the Climate Emergency at their first meeting after the 2016 election (see above). This flags to the community and to council staff your intention to deal with the climate emergency.
A first action is to pass a motion in council recognising the Climate Emergency. Darebin Council acknowledge the Climate Emergency at their first meeting after the 2016 election (see above). This flags to the community and to council staff your intention to deal with the climate emergency.
Step 2. - Review your strategic plan
A true Climate Emergency response requires that the Climate Emergency to be one of the key strategic priorities of council. For example, Darebin Council adopted the Climate Emergency in the first line of their revised strategic plan.
Unless you are currently reviewing your Strategic Plan, councils need to immediately call in their strategic plans and include a reference to the Climate Emergency.
Councils also need to include their Climate Emergency response in any state government requirements that are required to say for example hold your CEO to account for their implementation. In Victoria this means putting Climate Emergency measures in the council plan you submit to state government.
A true Climate Emergency response requires that the Climate Emergency to be one of the key strategic priorities of council. For example, Darebin Council adopted the Climate Emergency in the first line of their revised strategic plan.
Unless you are currently reviewing your Strategic Plan, councils need to immediately call in their strategic plans and include a reference to the Climate Emergency.
Councils also need to include their Climate Emergency response in any state government requirements that are required to say for example hold your CEO to account for their implementation. In Victoria this means putting Climate Emergency measures in the council plan you submit to state government.
Step 3. - Create a foundation for Climate Emergency action
The order of your next actions would depend on circumstances in your particular council. These actions are designed to create a foundation for the commencement of your Climate Emergency response. Actions include:
The order of your next actions would depend on circumstances in your particular council. These actions are designed to create a foundation for the commencement of your Climate Emergency response. Actions include:
- Review capacity of existing staff
- Consider employing a Climate Emergency specialist
- Review your global warming / climate strategy or plan
- Educate all your staff
- Review your subordinate plans
3.1 Review capacity of existing staff
The success of your Climate Emergency response will in a large part depend on the enthusiasm and ability of the team who will be charged with developing your Climate Emergency plan and implementing the bulk of the plan. Your current staff may not have the ability, experience or drive to do this.
If this is the case you can consider employing additional staff (see below) to support an existing team, or find new leadership within or outside of your organisation who are up to the challenge.
You should also have a chat to your CEO and see if they are a climate sceptic or denier. It would be difficult to implement a Climate Emergency plan if this is the case.
The success of your Climate Emergency response will in a large part depend on the enthusiasm and ability of the team who will be charged with developing your Climate Emergency plan and implementing the bulk of the plan. Your current staff may not have the ability, experience or drive to do this.
If this is the case you can consider employing additional staff (see below) to support an existing team, or find new leadership within or outside of your organisation who are up to the challenge.
You should also have a chat to your CEO and see if they are a climate sceptic or denier. It would be difficult to implement a Climate Emergency plan if this is the case.
3.2 Consider employing a Climate Emergency specialist
You may consider employing one or more extra staff members to support the roll-out of your new Climate Emergency strategy. Any new staff member should be able to demonstrate an understanding what the climate emergency is and what this might imply for councils. The role for these staff members could be quite varied and include:
Many organisation have filled Climate Emergency roles with staff or CEOs who immediately pull back from the strong messages and programs they were employed to implement and instead adopt soft messaging, a more limited scope and weak goals and targets.
Unfortunately the current pool of experienced Climate Emergency campaigners is very limited. So you may have to find candidates who are likely to be able to cope with the many challenges associated with implementing a Climate Emergency response. Look for candidates how have run ambitious and leading edge projects, have a history of perseverance in difficult or challenging circumstances, are comfortable battling the odds and not prone to giving up or backing down.
You may consider employing one or more extra staff members to support the roll-out of your new Climate Emergency strategy. Any new staff member should be able to demonstrate an understanding what the climate emergency is and what this might imply for councils. The role for these staff members could be quite varied and include:
- leading the implementation and or development of the complete strategy
- supporting existing staff with specialist expertise such as:
- deep understanding of global warming and the solutions need to return to a safe climate
- developing and or presenting public education campaigns
- engaging other council staff
- developing and reviewing policies
- building resilience in the community
- lobbying state and federal governments
Many organisation have filled Climate Emergency roles with staff or CEOs who immediately pull back from the strong messages and programs they were employed to implement and instead adopt soft messaging, a more limited scope and weak goals and targets.
Unfortunately the current pool of experienced Climate Emergency campaigners is very limited. So you may have to find candidates who are likely to be able to cope with the many challenges associated with implementing a Climate Emergency response. Look for candidates how have run ambitious and leading edge projects, have a history of perseverance in difficult or challenging circumstances, are comfortable battling the odds and not prone to giving up or backing down.
- simply understanding what the climate emergency is
3.3 Review your global warming / climate strategy or plan
Traditional council global warming / climate strategies and plans are too limited in scope and ambition to count as Climate Emergency plans. In particular these:
These plans must be re-written or started again from scratch with a true Climate Emergency response in mind.
Goal - Your goal should be to cover these three key issues in your goal:
Upwards Action - Your plan will need to include measures to:
Sideways Action - Your plan will need to include measures to:
Downwards Action - Your plan will need to include measures to:
CACE and RSTI have been working with Darebin Council on its draft Climate Emergency Plan. We are hoping that after the final round of public consultation it may prove to be a useful template for other councils to follow. If it falls short we will produce a separate guide for councils to develop their own Climate Emergency Plans which will be available here.
Traditional council global warming / climate strategies and plans are too limited in scope and ambition to count as Climate Emergency plans. In particular these:
- are unlikely to acknowledge we are in an emergency
- will have included time frames that are too slow
- will have included goals that do not go far enough
- will be unlikely to have a direct goal of encouraging state and federal governments to adopt a Climate Emergency response
- will have ignored key elements of a Climate Emergency response such as:
- food related emissions
- consumption related emissions
- opportunities for draw down
These plans must be re-written or started again from scratch with a true Climate Emergency response in mind.
Goal - Your goal should be to cover these three key issues in your goal:
- to achieve maximum protection for human and non human life in the context of the Climate Emergency
- to active net negative emissions for your municipality as soon as possible
- to encourage a similar response outside of your council area at all levels of government and internationally as soon as possible
Upwards Action - Your plan will need to include measures to:
- lobby state and federal governments and politicians to implement a Climate Emergency response
- build a mandate within the community for Climate Emergency action
- fill gaps in supporting material needed for a Climate Emergency response such as
- bringing together the science on current and future impacts
- developing plans for the post emergency economy
- planning how we go about scaling up the Climate Emergency campaign
- developing plans for carbon drawdown and global cooling
- planning how to push the Climate Emergency campaign internationally
Sideways Action - Your plan will need to include measures to:
- encourage other local governments to adopt a Climate Emergency response and declare a Climate Emergency
Downwards Action - Your plan will need to include measures to:
- educate all sections of the community including supporting local groups to promote the Climate Emergency to their particular cultural, religious, interest or language groups.
- reduce emissions by council and the community in all key areas
- energy
- transport
- diet
- consumption
- waste
- land clearing (for non urban councils)
- support people of low income to act to reduce their emissions while simultaneously improving their quality of life
- support efforts to draw down past emissions
- mitigate the local effects of current and future global warming-related impacts such as increasingly frequent and severe storms, floods, heatwaves, coastal inundation / erosion, wild fires and food scarcity
- build resilience within the community to withstand and recover from current and future global warming-related impacts such as increasingly frequent and severe storms, floods, heatwaves, coastal inundation / erosion, fires and food scarcity.
CACE and RSTI have been working with Darebin Council on its draft Climate Emergency Plan. We are hoping that after the final round of public consultation it may prove to be a useful template for other councils to follow. If it falls short we will produce a separate guide for councils to develop their own Climate Emergency Plans which will be available here.
3.4 Educate your staff
If council staff are to fully get behind your Climate Emergency program, they will need to understand both the urgency and and scale of the issues and the key roles councils can play in tackling the Climate Emergency.
Unfortunately the investment of 100's of millions of dollars by the carbon industries in discrediting climate science and the success of the carbon industries in lobbying our politicians has created confusion and misinformation within the public about global warming. For example 40% of the public don't believe in human-forced climate change and some of these people will be your staff (Essential Research poll Feb 2017).
To counter this misinformation and provide the appropriate motivation we would recommend using the services of a number of experts who have specialised in communicating issues around the Climate Emergency. In particular, they could explain the current and future impacts of global warming and why we need to act now to reverse global warming, and what role councils can play.
Possible speakers include:
If council staff are to fully get behind your Climate Emergency program, they will need to understand both the urgency and and scale of the issues and the key roles councils can play in tackling the Climate Emergency.
Unfortunately the investment of 100's of millions of dollars by the carbon industries in discrediting climate science and the success of the carbon industries in lobbying our politicians has created confusion and misinformation within the public about global warming. For example 40% of the public don't believe in human-forced climate change and some of these people will be your staff (Essential Research poll Feb 2017).
To counter this misinformation and provide the appropriate motivation we would recommend using the services of a number of experts who have specialised in communicating issues around the Climate Emergency. In particular, they could explain the current and future impacts of global warming and why we need to act now to reverse global warming, and what role councils can play.
Possible speakers include:
- Philip Sutton and David Spratt can speak on a range of topics, including how serious global warming is, why we have no carbon budget or time left to delay action, and what we need to do to reverse global warming.
- Philip Sutton and Adrian Whitehead speaking on the role of councils in the broader campaign to reverse global warming.
- Beyond Zero Emissions can present details around the big changes we need and show that they are indeed possible
- Councillors or key council staff who have driven the adoption of the Climate Emergency response could educate a council's staff about the specific roles and programs proposed by your council.
3.5 Review your subordinate plans
A large of number of a council's plans and strategies will directly relate to global warming and will need to be reviewed with respect to ambition and scope once a Climate Emergency approach has been adopted. These will vary from council to council but will include plans focused on:
A large of number of a council's plans and strategies will directly relate to global warming and will need to be reviewed with respect to ambition and scope once a Climate Emergency approach has been adopted. These will vary from council to council but will include plans focused on:
- energy
- transport
- sustainability
- building standards
- waste
- local food
- emergency management and mitigation of flood, fire and heatwaves
- streetscapes and urban forests
- planning
- oil peak adaptation
3.6 Prioritise your spending and actions
Do you build a $2.5 million bridge to provide an off-road crossing of a local creek for an important walking and cycling track, or do you build a well-resourced community education team? These are the sort of decisions you will need to make with your limited budgets once you enter Climate Emergency mode. At this stage in the Climate Emergency Campaign we would recommend the latter choice. However the council will need a range of funded practical programs to support the public education campaigns otherwise a Climate Emergency response or declaration will feel hollow.
Do you build a $2.5 million bridge to provide an off-road crossing of a local creek for an important walking and cycling track, or do you build a well-resourced community education team? These are the sort of decisions you will need to make with your limited budgets once you enter Climate Emergency mode. At this stage in the Climate Emergency Campaign we would recommend the latter choice. However the council will need a range of funded practical programs to support the public education campaigns otherwise a Climate Emergency response or declaration will feel hollow.
Step 4. Implement the strategy and declare a Climate Emergency
Once your preparatory work has been completed, if you haven't already declared a Climate Emergency there are two basic option for step 4. These are to either:
1. implement your strategy and build a mandate for a Climate Emergency Declaration, or
2. take a strong leadership position and Declare a Climate Emergency immediately prior to implementing your strategy
Which option you choose will depend on a number of factors including how many other councils have already declared a Climate Emergency, and how strongly committed are your own Councillors and council staff to implementing a Climate Emergency response, the awareness levels in your local community. This issues is discussed again below in section 4.4 Declare a Climate Emergency.
1. implement your strategy and build a mandate for a Climate Emergency Declaration, or
2. take a strong leadership position and Declare a Climate Emergency immediately prior to implementing your strategy
Which option you choose will depend on a number of factors including how many other councils have already declared a Climate Emergency, and how strongly committed are your own Councillors and council staff to implementing a Climate Emergency response, the awareness levels in your local community. This issues is discussed again below in section 4.4 Declare a Climate Emergency.
4.1 Get state and federal governments to declare a Climate Emergency (Upwards)
Councils need to build pressure on state and federal governments by implementing their plans to lobby, build a community mandate, leading by example in the Climate Emergency campaign and committing resources to filling gaps in supporting material.
Councils need to build pressure on state and federal governments by implementing their plans to lobby, build a community mandate, leading by example in the Climate Emergency campaign and committing resources to filling gaps in supporting material.
4.2 Get others to follow your lead (Sideways)
Use you informal and formal networks (local, state, national and international) to encourage other councils to declare a Climate Emergency .
For example Darebin Councillor Susan Rennie got the following motion passed at Victoria's Municipal Association of Victoria (MAV) state council:
Motion 56. Climate Change
Submitting Council: Darebin City Council
Motion:
That the MAV recognise that:
(a) we are in a state of climate emergency that requires urgent action by all levels of government, including local councils
(b) human induced climate change stands in the first rank of threats to humans, civilisation and other species
(c) it is still possible to restore a safe climate and prevent most of the anticipated long-term climate impacts – but only if societies across the world adopt an emergency mode of action that can enable the restructuring of the physical economy at the necessary scale and speed;
(d) the MAV has a particular role in assisting local governments in this regard.
Darebin council will also be running a conference in late 2017 or early 2018 designed to educate and encourage other councils to do similar things, including encouraging businesses to become climate-friendly and aware by including a range of climate related measures in their tendering processes.
Use you informal and formal networks (local, state, national and international) to encourage other councils to declare a Climate Emergency .
For example Darebin Councillor Susan Rennie got the following motion passed at Victoria's Municipal Association of Victoria (MAV) state council:
Motion 56. Climate Change
Submitting Council: Darebin City Council
Motion:
That the MAV recognise that:
(a) we are in a state of climate emergency that requires urgent action by all levels of government, including local councils
(b) human induced climate change stands in the first rank of threats to humans, civilisation and other species
(c) it is still possible to restore a safe climate and prevent most of the anticipated long-term climate impacts – but only if societies across the world adopt an emergency mode of action that can enable the restructuring of the physical economy at the necessary scale and speed;
(d) the MAV has a particular role in assisting local governments in this regard.
Darebin council will also be running a conference in late 2017 or early 2018 designed to educate and encourage other councils to do similar things, including encouraging businesses to become climate-friendly and aware by including a range of climate related measures in their tendering processes.
4.3 Action your programs (Downwards)
Councils will not have the needed funds to run a full Climate Emergency response, at least initially. Some programs, such as education based programs using council's existing communication channels, such as council newsletters and website, can be implemented at almost no cost. Other programs, such as improving the thermal performance of low-income housing, would require massive investment from state and federal governments to be implemented at the needed scale.
However it is still critical that council have a range of programs up and running in as many areas as possible prior to receiving the needed investment from state or federal governments for a number of reasons, including:
Councils will not have the needed funds to run a full Climate Emergency response, at least initially. Some programs, such as education based programs using council's existing communication channels, such as council newsletters and website, can be implemented at almost no cost. Other programs, such as improving the thermal performance of low-income housing, would require massive investment from state and federal governments to be implemented at the needed scale.
However it is still critical that council have a range of programs up and running in as many areas as possible prior to receiving the needed investment from state or federal governments for a number of reasons, including:
- practical and meaningful programs even of a small scale will be needed to demonstrate action can and is being taken
- councils can trial a range of programs and see what works
- councils can build internal expertise that will enable programs to be expanded rapidly when funds become available
- councils have direct links to the many elements that make up our diverse communities. Councils can use these links to get the whole community to support the Climate Emergency response.
4.4 Declare a Climate Emergency
What is a Climate Emergency Declaration? You may have heard of a Declaration of War or a Declaration of a State of Emergency. During these times governments function differently from normal to allow them to respond to crisis situations.
A Climate Emergency Declaration is simply a variation on declaring a State of Emergency, one which is focused on resolving the climate crisis. However, in a practical sense a Climate Emergency Declaration has more in common with a Declaration of War due to the economy-wide scale of action required and a duration likely to be measured in years rather than days or weeks.
The point of a Climate Emergency Declaration is to allow governments the power to direct our economy and society in ways needed in order to avoid a climate catastrophe and to re-establish a safe climate. Action under a declared Climate Emergency would be done most effectively at state, federal and even a global level.
Local councils can declare an emergency to provide a leadership signal to higher level governments while also sending a signal to their constituents about the seriousness of global warming and that council is choosing to prioritise a Climate Emergency response as part of its operations. The rationale behind why local councils should declare a Climate Emergency is discussed further on pages 4 to 9 of Philip Sutton's Local First Implementation paper.
Councils will need to decide when to make their Climate Emergency Declaration. This could be:
IMPORTANT - A declaration should not be made until the council is ready to commit to respond in full emergency mode otherwise it will undermine our efforts to build a genuine Climate Emergency response.
What is a Climate Emergency Declaration? You may have heard of a Declaration of War or a Declaration of a State of Emergency. During these times governments function differently from normal to allow them to respond to crisis situations.
A Climate Emergency Declaration is simply a variation on declaring a State of Emergency, one which is focused on resolving the climate crisis. However, in a practical sense a Climate Emergency Declaration has more in common with a Declaration of War due to the economy-wide scale of action required and a duration likely to be measured in years rather than days or weeks.
The point of a Climate Emergency Declaration is to allow governments the power to direct our economy and society in ways needed in order to avoid a climate catastrophe and to re-establish a safe climate. Action under a declared Climate Emergency would be done most effectively at state, federal and even a global level.
Local councils can declare an emergency to provide a leadership signal to higher level governments while also sending a signal to their constituents about the seriousness of global warming and that council is choosing to prioritise a Climate Emergency response as part of its operations. The rationale behind why local councils should declare a Climate Emergency is discussed further on pages 4 to 9 of Philip Sutton's Local First Implementation paper.
Councils will need to decide when to make their Climate Emergency Declaration. This could be:
- the very first thing you choose to do - effectively replacing Step 1
- announce the declaration as the first part of Step 4, the implementation phase
- wait till the council feels you have reached an arbitrary level of public support and / or have the internal support you feel is needed make the declaration
IMPORTANT - A declaration should not be made until the council is ready to commit to respond in full emergency mode otherwise it will undermine our efforts to build a genuine Climate Emergency response.
What is not in a Climate Emergency plan
No weak goals, no half measures or transitional investments
Goals that talk about for example 90% renewables or low emissions options should in general not be in a Climate Emergency plan. We need to drop transitional measures. Statements like, “smaller, low emission / hybrid cars are used in the transition away from the internal combustion engine” or "that gas should be used as a lower emissions fuel during the transition to a zero emissions economy", are not part of a Climate Emergency response. This includes support statements on other levels of government half measures or transitional investments.
No long timeframes
Timelines that talk about achieving major targets in longer than 10 or 15 years should also be avoided.
Goals that talk about for example 90% renewables or low emissions options should in general not be in a Climate Emergency plan. We need to drop transitional measures. Statements like, “smaller, low emission / hybrid cars are used in the transition away from the internal combustion engine” or "that gas should be used as a lower emissions fuel during the transition to a zero emissions economy", are not part of a Climate Emergency response. This includes support statements on other levels of government half measures or transitional investments.
No long timeframes
Timelines that talk about achieving major targets in longer than 10 or 15 years should also be avoided.