Entering into full emergency mode is the second key step after acknowledging we are in a climate emergency.
This step is designed to maximise a council's mitigation and resilience efforts at a local level but most importantly accelerate climate action by higher levels of government through:
1. leading by example i.e. modeling the needed actions and priority setting
2. advocacy to higher levels of government and
3. creating community pressure for emergency action.
This step is designed to maximise a council's mitigation and resilience efforts at a local level but most importantly accelerate climate action by higher levels of government through:
1. leading by example i.e. modeling the needed actions and priority setting
2. advocacy to higher levels of government and
3. creating community pressure for emergency action.
In this section
- Emergency mobilisation at a glance
- Are you ready for an emergency mobilisation?
- A step by step guide to entering emergency mode
1. Emergency mobilisation at a glance
PRIORITY, URGENCY and MANDATE TO ACT - your climate emergency response (mitigation, resilience, education and advocacy) is the number one priority of council after the delivery of your core functions to community.
This response must be supported by the majority of councillors, the CEO, the executive and included in the strategic / council plan.
KNOWLEDGE BASE - staff training has been undertaken for all staff, including managers and the CEO, focused on the climate emergency, the threat and the solutions, the role of council in the areas of mitigation, resilience, education and advocacy, including the councils role in getting higher levels of government to act.
POLICY REVIEW - a new climate emergency plan should be developed incorporating the areas of mitigation, resilience, education and advocacy. The new policy should be focused on achieving multiple benefits beyond just a global warming response such as supporting the most disadvantaged members of the community, and include all emissions sources including consumption base emissions such as diet.
WHOLE OF COUNCIL - the council has undergone a whole of council review of existing policies and practices to identify where climate emergency outcomes could be achieved in the areas of mitigation, resilience, education and advocacy, through modified business practices, modified policies, new programs or new policies, including reviewing the councils fund management and procurement policies
BUDGET PRIORITY - the council has done an emergency budgeting exercise and has identified all available discretionary funds that can be directed to the climate emergency response and has committed these funds
COMMUNICATION - the climate emergency response should feature as the lead issue in all general council communications including the home page of the website and any community newsletters.
COMMUNITY - the council is mobilising its community to support council action, undertake their own action and to work with council to put pressure on higher levels of government achieve net negative emissions by 2030 or earlier.
GETTING TO NET NEGATIVE - a community wide planning process has been undertaken on how the council can achieve net negative emissions, including consumption emissions, by 2030 or earlier including the development of key budget requirements. Opportunities for drawdown should be identified, the most obvious candidates for councils being tree planting and turning wood waste into biochar.
This response must be supported by the majority of councillors, the CEO, the executive and included in the strategic / council plan.
KNOWLEDGE BASE - staff training has been undertaken for all staff, including managers and the CEO, focused on the climate emergency, the threat and the solutions, the role of council in the areas of mitigation, resilience, education and advocacy, including the councils role in getting higher levels of government to act.
POLICY REVIEW - a new climate emergency plan should be developed incorporating the areas of mitigation, resilience, education and advocacy. The new policy should be focused on achieving multiple benefits beyond just a global warming response such as supporting the most disadvantaged members of the community, and include all emissions sources including consumption base emissions such as diet.
WHOLE OF COUNCIL - the council has undergone a whole of council review of existing policies and practices to identify where climate emergency outcomes could be achieved in the areas of mitigation, resilience, education and advocacy, through modified business practices, modified policies, new programs or new policies, including reviewing the councils fund management and procurement policies
BUDGET PRIORITY - the council has done an emergency budgeting exercise and has identified all available discretionary funds that can be directed to the climate emergency response and has committed these funds
COMMUNICATION - the climate emergency response should feature as the lead issue in all general council communications including the home page of the website and any community newsletters.
COMMUNITY - the council is mobilising its community to support council action, undertake their own action and to work with council to put pressure on higher levels of government achieve net negative emissions by 2030 or earlier.
GETTING TO NET NEGATIVE - a community wide planning process has been undertaken on how the council can achieve net negative emissions, including consumption emissions, by 2030 or earlier including the development of key budget requirements. Opportunities for drawdown should be identified, the most obvious candidates for councils being tree planting and turning wood waste into biochar.
CACE has developed a 10 point checklist you can download to see how well you council is progressing into emergency mode.
Click on the PDF icon or text below.
Click on the PDF icon or text below.

cace_emergency_mode_check_list_2020_v1.1.pdf | |
File Size: | 85 kb |
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2. Are you ready for an emergency mobilisation?
CACE feels you need the following elements to be able to successfully mobilise:
- a 'super majority' of councillors who fully support and understand a climate emergency mobilisation by council. In a council of 9 for example, a super majority would mean 6-7+ councillors fully support the motion.
- a CEO who is willing and motivated to go beyond business as usual and implement an emergency response
- skilled climate and communication teams willing to implement a program more ambitious than any they have yet undertaken.
- a council that functions effectively in respect to its basic internal systems such as HR or getting websites updated.
- a strong community campaign to back the mobilisation
3. A step by step guide to entering emergency mode
Step 1. Initial actions driven by councillors
Step 1.1 Review your council's strategic plan
A full climate emergency response requires that the climate emergency to be the key strategic priority of council. A response to the climate emergency will need to be included in your strategic plan / council plan or equivalent in order to drive emergency action at your council
Unless you are currently reviewing your strategic plan, councils should immediately call in their strategic plans and include a reference to the climate emergency as the overarching priority.
CACE is in the process of developing a strategic plan template for use by councils.
Councils will also need to develop their climate emergency response in a way designed to meet any particular state government requirements, however a council may have to ultimately be prepared to challenge your state government if they refuse to support emergency action.
For example, in Victoria this means putting climate emergency measures in the council plan that you submit to state government and framing your action against a defined Victorian council responsibility.
Under Victorian local government legislation, the primary objective of a Council is "to endeavour to achieve the best outcomes for the local community having regard to the long term and cumulative effects of decisions" which must have regard to "the social, economic and environmental viability and sustainability of the municipal district;" and include as one of its roles "advocating the interests of the local community to other communities and governments". These two objective provide a perfect mandate to act on the climate emergency.
(See the Victorian Local Government Act)
In Tasmania, "a council has the following functions:
(a) to provide for the health, safety and welfare of the community;
(b) to represent and promote the interests of the community;
(c) to provide for the peace, order and good government of the municipal area."
(See the Tasmanian Local Government Act)
For more information on Australian local government acts and regulations see:
At Darebin, a response to the climate emergency was facilitated in the current Council Plan (2017-2021) through the following:
While establishing the mandate for action by council staff, the "Darebin Plan" understates the needed scope, scale and urgency of the climate emergency response and does not clearly make the climate emergency response it's number on priority.
One possible reason for this relates back to the development of Darebin's Climate Emergency Plan which was a modification of an almost-finalised draft of a new climate action plan rather than the development of a new Climate Emergency Plan from scratch. We have maintained a reference page from 2017 showing some of CACE's concerns around the plan at the time.
Ideally the strategic / council plan should clearly prioritise a climate emergency mobilisation in all elements of the strategic plan, in the relevant goals and the Mayor's statement as the number one priority of council if seeking to enter into full emergency mode.
For example, consider a revised goal we have developed for a hypothetical new Darebin Council Plan that more closely reflects the acknowledgement of the Climate Emergency that the Darebin Council made in their first meeting in 2016.
Step 1.1 Review your council's strategic plan
A full climate emergency response requires that the climate emergency to be the key strategic priority of council. A response to the climate emergency will need to be included in your strategic plan / council plan or equivalent in order to drive emergency action at your council
Unless you are currently reviewing your strategic plan, councils should immediately call in their strategic plans and include a reference to the climate emergency as the overarching priority.
CACE is in the process of developing a strategic plan template for use by councils.
Councils will also need to develop their climate emergency response in a way designed to meet any particular state government requirements, however a council may have to ultimately be prepared to challenge your state government if they refuse to support emergency action.
For example, in Victoria this means putting climate emergency measures in the council plan that you submit to state government and framing your action against a defined Victorian council responsibility.
Under Victorian local government legislation, the primary objective of a Council is "to endeavour to achieve the best outcomes for the local community having regard to the long term and cumulative effects of decisions" which must have regard to "the social, economic and environmental viability and sustainability of the municipal district;" and include as one of its roles "advocating the interests of the local community to other communities and governments". These two objective provide a perfect mandate to act on the climate emergency.
(See the Victorian Local Government Act)
In Tasmania, "a council has the following functions:
(a) to provide for the health, safety and welfare of the community;
(b) to represent and promote the interests of the community;
(c) to provide for the peace, order and good government of the municipal area."
(See the Tasmanian Local Government Act)
For more information on Australian local government acts and regulations see:
- in VIC see a guide to local government acts and regulations
- in NSW see acts and regulations
- in WA see this information page
- in SA see local government SA
- in QLD see local government legislation and governance
- in TAS see what is local government
At Darebin, a response to the climate emergency was facilitated in the current Council Plan (2017-2021) through the following:
- the first goal "We will be leaders in creating a sustainable city through local innovation projects that address climate change",
- their mission statement "To preserve and improve the physical, social, environmental, cultural and economic health of all our neighbourhoods, and ensure quality of life for current and future generations."
- the Mayor's statement "Together we can continue to build a thriving, resilient, fair city, while addressing our critical issues of climate change, population growth and growing inequality”
- a framing statement relating to future challenges Darebin will face, including a direct reference to the Climate Emergency "Over the next four years we will face.... A climate emergency - Our changing climate is causing damage to health, property and infrastructure."
- detailing a series of sub goals relating to action on climate which reflect the goals developed in the Climate Emergency Plan.
While establishing the mandate for action by council staff, the "Darebin Plan" understates the needed scope, scale and urgency of the climate emergency response and does not clearly make the climate emergency response it's number on priority.
One possible reason for this relates back to the development of Darebin's Climate Emergency Plan which was a modification of an almost-finalised draft of a new climate action plan rather than the development of a new Climate Emergency Plan from scratch. We have maintained a reference page from 2017 showing some of CACE's concerns around the plan at the time.
Ideally the strategic / council plan should clearly prioritise a climate emergency mobilisation in all elements of the strategic plan, in the relevant goals and the Mayor's statement as the number one priority of council if seeking to enter into full emergency mode.
For example, consider a revised goal we have developed for a hypothetical new Darebin Council Plan that more closely reflects the acknowledgement of the Climate Emergency that the Darebin Council made in their first meeting in 2016.
"We will be leaders in responding to the climate emergency by undertaking urgent action through advocacy to state and federal governments and local innovation and projects" (Hypothetical)
VS
"We will be leaders in creating a sustainable city through local innovation projects that address climate change" (Actual)
VS
"We will be leaders in creating a sustainable city through local innovation projects that address climate change" (Actual)
1.2 Review capacity of CEO
Attempting to get your council into a full emergency mode will not succeed without the support and drive from the CEO and senior mangers.
In a few years time CEOs and senior managers will be eager and self motivated to take emergency action for a number of reasons:
Today [September 2019] council CEOs and executives are not their yet, however this date is now probably only 1-2 years away before we get there.
As councillors you should have a chat to your CEO about how they view a climate emergency response:
It would be difficult if not impossible to implement a climate emergency response if the CEO is a climate sceptic, a denier, opposes cultural change or apathetic about this issue. Perhaps you need a new CEO?
As a full climate emergency response is council wide you will need all senior managers to understand and support the response as well. Make sure you include Climate Emergency related KPIs in your CEO and senior executive contracts that support emergency action.
Attempting to get your council into a full emergency mode will not succeed without the support and drive from the CEO and senior mangers.
In a few years time CEOs and senior managers will be eager and self motivated to take emergency action for a number of reasons:
- because they understand their actions can have a significant role in helping prevent a climate catastrophe and thus save themselves, their kids, grand kids or other things they care about
- they wish to avoid future court action for failing adequately respond to the threat of global warming in the execution of council business
- many other councils are undertaking emergency action and they will not want to be seen as a laggard
- they will need to been seen to be effective in this area to advance their careers
Today [September 2019] council CEOs and executives are not their yet, however this date is now probably only 1-2 years away before we get there.
As councillors you should have a chat to your CEO about how they view a climate emergency response:
- are they a climate sceptic or denier?
- do they understand the threat climate change poses to our the world, our country, our community, themselves and their family?
- do they understand the basic concept of why councils should work in this space?
- do they understand role of councils in getting action by higher levels of government?
- do they view a climate emergency response as merely a hindrance to their council's normal business?
- are they willing to change normal business practice in order to implement an emergency response?
- will they be able to manage, motivate and inspire cultural and operational change within the organisation focused on climate emergency action?
It would be difficult if not impossible to implement a climate emergency response if the CEO is a climate sceptic, a denier, opposes cultural change or apathetic about this issue. Perhaps you need a new CEO?
As a full climate emergency response is council wide you will need all senior managers to understand and support the response as well. Make sure you include Climate Emergency related KPIs in your CEO and senior executive contracts that support emergency action.
1.3 Make your climate emergency response a priority of your council
Councillors should must make the response a priority of council. This could be done by:
Councillors should must make the response a priority of council. This could be done by:
- Acknowledging we are in a climate emergency at each meeting of council or its sub committees
- Making a climate emergency response progress report the first order of business in council meetings
- Ensuring the climate emergency response is prioritise in all council communications i.e. on the front page of the website, on the front page of council community newsletters, in Mayoral speeches etc, in short every opportunity is taken to communicate the emergency to the community
- Ensure the Mayor treats the climate emergency response as the first order of business
- Allocate appropriate budget to the response
Step 2. Staff driven action
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 your climate emergency response.
From this point, in some states it may be difficult or even impossible for councillors to deliver the following actions and will almost certainly require the support of council officers to varying degrees, with support of the CEO.
This can be helped by ensuring your council staff are working to the goals outlined in the strategic plan.
If senior management do not respond or support the following processes, the councillors will have to deal with the inaction through their CEO and through the development of specific work plans that detail action and can be linked to KPIs and performance assessments or those particular staff could be replaced.
There is potential for this work to be supported by community members engaged in a voluntary capacity, however you may require a significant cultural shift in the way your council works for this to be effective, and as a minimum an openness by staff to work in a collegiate fashion with community members.
Actions include:
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 your climate emergency response.
From this point, in some states it may be difficult or even impossible for councillors to deliver the following actions and will almost certainly require the support of council officers to varying degrees, with support of the CEO.
This can be helped by ensuring your council staff are working to the goals outlined in the strategic plan.
If senior management do not respond or support the following processes, the councillors will have to deal with the inaction through their CEO and through the development of specific work plans that detail action and can be linked to KPIs and performance assessments or those particular staff could be replaced.
There is potential for this work to be supported by community members engaged in a voluntary capacity, however you may require a significant cultural shift in the way your council works for this to be effective, and as a minimum an openness by staff to work in a collegiate fashion with community members.
Actions include:
- Review capacity of existing staff
- Consider employing one or more Climate Emergency specialist
- Appoint an expert advisory committee to council
- Educate your CEO and staff (resources available on this website and here)
- Include climate emergency response in the CEO's and executives KPIs
- Review your global warming / climate strategy or plan
- Review your subordinate plans
- Prioritise your spending and actions
- Build and emergency culture and prioritise the response
2.1 Review capacity of existing staff and managers (Inwards)
The enthusiasm and ability of the team, who will be charged with developing your Climate Emergency plan and implementing the key elements is the next key factor in a successful climate emergency response.
Your current staff and managers 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.
Make sure you include the climate emergency response in the KPIs of staff and managers responsible for responding to the emergency.
The enthusiasm and ability of the team, who will be charged with developing your Climate Emergency plan and implementing the key elements is the next key factor in a successful climate emergency response.
Your current staff and managers 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.
Make sure you include the climate emergency response in the KPIs of staff and managers responsible for responding to the emergency.
2.2 Consider employing a Climate Emergency specialist (Inwards)
You may consider employing one or more extra staff members to support the roll-out of your new climate emergency response. 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 member(s) could be quite varied and include the following but it should be noted it would be a rare candidate who would have experience in all areas:
Unfortunately the current pool of experienced climate emergency campaigners is very limited and many potential candidate will have background in opposing emergency action or supporting suicidal goals and targets. Hence the selection of any new staff would need to include an assessment of their understanding of the why and the what of the climate emergency and their willingness to implement a full climate emergency mobilisation by council and a commitment to emergency framing.
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 who have already 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.
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. If this occurs these staff should be removed from their positions.
You may consider employing one or more extra staff members to support the roll-out of your new climate emergency response. 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 member(s) could be quite varied and include the following but it should be noted it would be a rare candidate who would have experience in all areas:
- leading the implementation and or development of the complete strategy and plan
- 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 and mobilisation campaigns
- engaging other council staff
- developing and reviewing policies
- building resilience in the community
- lobbying state and federal governments
- facilitating community support of the process
Unfortunately the current pool of experienced climate emergency campaigners is very limited and many potential candidate will have background in opposing emergency action or supporting suicidal goals and targets. Hence the selection of any new staff would need to include an assessment of their understanding of the why and the what of the climate emergency and their willingness to implement a full climate emergency mobilisation by council and a commitment to emergency framing.
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 who have already 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.
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. If this occurs these staff should be removed from their positions.
2.3 Appoint an expert advisory committee (Inwards / downwards)
Consider establishing an expert advisory committee to guide and provide advice, leadership or output to the various elements of a climate emergency response such as developing a Climate Emergency plan, review of subordinate plans, or development and execution of a communications and community mobilisation strategy.
The use of the committee should be designed to get the best outcome for your climate emergency response. For example the committee should consulted at the front end of any policy or strategy development process rather than simply ticking off plans.
Council staff may have to under gone some culture change training in order to be able to use and work with an expert advisory committee effectively.
Consider establishing an expert advisory committee to guide and provide advice, leadership or output to the various elements of a climate emergency response such as developing a Climate Emergency plan, review of subordinate plans, or development and execution of a communications and community mobilisation strategy.
The use of the committee should be designed to get the best outcome for your climate emergency response. For example the committee should consulted at the front end of any policy or strategy development process rather than simply ticking off plans.
Council staff may have to under gone some culture change training in order to be able to use and work with an expert advisory committee effectively.
2.4 Educate your staff (Inwards)
If council staff are to fully get behind your climate emergency response, they will need to understand both the urgency and and scale of the issues we have and how we can solve the problem; and the key roles councils can play in tackling the Climate Emergency.
Unfortunately the investment of hundreds of billions of dollars by the carbon industries in discrediting climate science and in lobbying our politicians has succeeded in creating public confusion and misinformation about global warming. For example 40 per cent 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). The majority of staff, managers and councillors will believe in human-forced climate change but their understanding of its current, near and longer term impacts will be clouded by the confusion that has been created.
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:
Of particular importance will be the education of the CEO and general managers about the climate emergency as they will lead the implementation within council.
Please contact CACE to request an in-person or virtual presentation.
If council staff are to fully get behind your climate emergency response, they will need to understand both the urgency and and scale of the issues we have and how we can solve the problem; and the key roles councils can play in tackling the Climate Emergency.
Unfortunately the investment of hundreds of billions of dollars by the carbon industries in discrediting climate science and in lobbying our politicians has succeeded in creating public confusion and misinformation about global warming. For example 40 per cent 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). The majority of staff, managers and councillors will believe in human-forced climate change but their understanding of its current, near and longer term impacts will be clouded by the confusion that has been created.
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.
Of particular importance will be the education of the CEO and general managers about the climate emergency as they will lead the implementation within council.
Please contact CACE to request an in-person or virtual presentation.
2.5 Review your global warming / climate change plan (Inwards)
You will need to write a new climate emergency plan if seeking to enter into full emergency mode.
We discuss writing a basic climate emergency plan here on our "Your Climate Emergency Plan" page. You will need to incorporate the elements discussed there as well are the additional material on this page that relates to entering emergency mode.
Remember the priorities should be to facilitate upwards action to drive emergency action by higher levels of government. Local mitigation and resilience activities support this but are not the number one priority.
Three keys ways you can achieve this are:
The Ideas for post declaration page covers the broad range of levers councils have across their portfolios to reduce and drawdown emissions, as well as build community resilience, and for inclusion in the council's Climate Emergency Plan.
You will need to write a new climate emergency plan if seeking to enter into full emergency mode.
We discuss writing a basic climate emergency plan here on our "Your Climate Emergency Plan" page. You will need to incorporate the elements discussed there as well are the additional material on this page that relates to entering emergency mode.
Remember the priorities should be to facilitate upwards action to drive emergency action by higher levels of government. Local mitigation and resilience activities support this but are not the number one priority.
Three keys ways you can achieve this are:
- lobby state and federal governments and politicians and other advocacy work
- build a mandate within the community for climate emergency action by higher levels of government
- leadership in goal setting, education, mitigation and resilience initiatives.
The Ideas for post declaration page covers the broad range of levers councils have across their portfolios to reduce and drawdown emissions, as well as build community resilience, and for inclusion in the council's Climate Emergency Plan.
2.6 Review your subordinate plans (Inwards)
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
- procurement
- waste
- local food
- emergency management and mitigation of flood, fire and heatwaves
- streetscapes and urban forests
- planning
- oil peak adaptation
2.7 Prioritise your spending and actions, and seek to build additional resources
Once in climate emergency mode, a council would focus all spare resources, seek additional resources, mobilise community resources and review existing programs to free up resources to respond to the climate emergency.
You will need to answer questions like "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?" "Can you halt a major retrofit of a sporting venue for 10 years? Is that play ground really so out of date that it needs to be replaced?" "Are there other programs that can be cut or redirected to a climate emergency?" These are the sort of decisions you will need to make with your limited budgets.
The council will need to find funding for range of needs, including additional staff, staff training, community outreach and education, engagement with other councils and state and federal government, measures to reduce a council's own emissions, and practical community programs in the areas of mitigation and resilience. A climate emergency response will feel hollow without a range of flagship practical programs implemented by council but the most important element of the response is still the role a council can play leading the climate emergency response by undertaking a full mobilisation and the education of your community around the importance of emergency action and what role each level of government can play.
Once in climate emergency mode, a council would focus all spare resources, seek additional resources, mobilise community resources and review existing programs to free up resources to respond to the climate emergency.
You will need to answer questions like "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?" "Can you halt a major retrofit of a sporting venue for 10 years? Is that play ground really so out of date that it needs to be replaced?" "Are there other programs that can be cut or redirected to a climate emergency?" These are the sort of decisions you will need to make with your limited budgets.
The council will need to find funding for range of needs, including additional staff, staff training, community outreach and education, engagement with other councils and state and federal government, measures to reduce a council's own emissions, and practical community programs in the areas of mitigation and resilience. A climate emergency response will feel hollow without a range of flagship practical programs implemented by council but the most important element of the response is still the role a council can play leading the climate emergency response by undertaking a full mobilisation and the education of your community around the importance of emergency action and what role each level of government can play.
2.8 Build and emergency culture and prioritise the response
The effectively respond in emergency mode you will need a culture shift lead by the CEO and managers that clearly shows and encourages staff to work on the response as your number one priority.
Examples include:
The effectively respond in emergency mode you will need a culture shift lead by the CEO and managers that clearly shows and encourages staff to work on the response as your number one priority.
Examples include:
- the climate emergency response and its progress is the first standing item on the agenda of executive, management and team meetings
- climate emergency tasks are prioritised over other tasks
- the progress of your response is promoted to the staff on a regular basis
Step 3. Implement the strategy and announce you intention to mobilise
Once your preparatory work has been completed, you can decide how you will announce you are entering a full emergency mode. There are two basic options for step 3. These are to either:
1. implement your plan and build a community mandate for a climate emergency mobilisation i.e. building the community support for entering a full emergency mode prior to entering emergency mode, or
2. take a strong leadership position and make a public declaration that your council is entering a state of climate emergency immediately prior to implementing your plan and move into a full emergency mode.
Which option you choose will depend on a number of factors, including how many other councils are working in emergency mode, and how strongly committed are your own Councillors and council staff to implementing a full climate emergency response, and the awareness and support levels in your local community.
This issues is discussed again on the page Motions to declare a climate emergency
After your announcement, the response should now have more focus on the upwards, sideways and downwards efforts assuming you having completed your inwards preparation.
1. implement your plan and build a community mandate for a climate emergency mobilisation i.e. building the community support for entering a full emergency mode prior to entering emergency mode, or
2. take a strong leadership position and make a public declaration that your council is entering a state of climate emergency immediately prior to implementing your plan and move into a full emergency mode.
Which option you choose will depend on a number of factors, including how many other councils are working in emergency mode, and how strongly committed are your own Councillors and council staff to implementing a full climate emergency response, and the awareness and support levels in your local community.
This issues is discussed again on the page Motions to declare a climate emergency
After your announcement, the response should now have more focus on the upwards, sideways and downwards efforts assuming you having completed your inwards preparation.
3.1 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, building a community mandate, leading by example in the climate emergency campaign. See other sections including Your Climate Emergency Plan for ideas on how to do this.
Councils need to build pressure on state and federal governments by implementing their plans to lobby, building a community mandate, leading by example in the climate emergency campaign. See other sections including Your Climate Emergency Plan for ideas on how to do this.
3.2 Get others to follow your lead (Sideways)
Use your informal and formal councillor and staff 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.
More recently Councillor Trent McCarthy has proposed to the formation of Climate Emergency Australian, a group formed of councils to who have acknowledge of declared a climate.
Use your informal and formal councillor and staff 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.
More recently Councillor Trent McCarthy has proposed to the formation of Climate Emergency Australian, a group formed of councils to who have acknowledge of declared a climate.
3.3 Action your programs (Downwards)
Councils will not have the needed funds to run a climate emergency response that can solve all the climate issues in their area, at least initially until these are eventually funded by state and federal governments.
Some programs, such as education-based programs using council's existing communication channels i.e. council newsletters and websites, can be implemented at almost no cost other than staff or volunteer time. 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 practical 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 climate emergency response that can solve all the climate issues in their area, at least initially until these are eventually funded by state and federal governments.
Some programs, such as education-based programs using council's existing communication channels i.e. council newsletters and websites, can be implemented at almost no cost other than staff or volunteer time. 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 practical 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 through practical experience 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.