In this section
- Making contact
- Meeting you first councilor
- What do they know
- Link to values
- Make a case
- Explain the problem is solvable
- Explain a council's role
- The Ask
- Assessment
- Continue meeting with all your councillors
1. Making contact
You can contact your local Councillors via your local council's website. You will need to explain what a Climate Emergency is and what role councils can play. We are developing a guide called The climate emergency - a simple guide for councils which summarises much of the material on this website. When done you can print this out and give it to your Councillors.
It might be a good idea to start with the Councillors who you think would be most likely to care about global warming and its impacts. However the bottom line is you will need a majority of Councillors to support a Climate Emergency response at council.
You can contact your local Councillors via your local council's website. You will need to explain what a Climate Emergency is and what role councils can play. We are developing a guide called The climate emergency - a simple guide for councils which summarises much of the material on this website. When done you can print this out and give it to your Councillors.
It might be a good idea to start with the Councillors who you think would be most likely to care about global warming and its impacts. However the bottom line is you will need a majority of Councillors to support a Climate Emergency response at council.
2. Meeting you first Councillor
Your Councillors will respond better to people they see as peers i.e. does you Councillor identify with gardening, football, making money, religion, having a young family, male vs female etc etc. Hence try and create rapport with your Councillor by sharing your own interests or background that the Councillor shares.
If working in a group, choose team members who most closely match the Councillor, noting you will need someone who can also communicate the broader issue well.
Once you have picked you first councilor and your team go and meet them.
Explain that you are there to try and get the council to declare a climate emergency and implement a climate emergency response. We list below some tactics you can use during the meeting to help your succeed.
2.1 During the meeting get an understanding of their understanding of global warming
You might choose to immediately ask what they know about global warming if you don't already have an idea of how much they know.
Do they accept global warming exists? Do they accept global warming is human-caused? Do they accept the climate emergency?
This will guide you as to where you need to start the conversation, for example, the basic science of global warming, or why we are in an emergency.
Your Councillors will respond better to people they see as peers i.e. does you Councillor identify with gardening, football, making money, religion, having a young family, male vs female etc etc. Hence try and create rapport with your Councillor by sharing your own interests or background that the Councillor shares.
If working in a group, choose team members who most closely match the Councillor, noting you will need someone who can also communicate the broader issue well.
Once you have picked you first councilor and your team go and meet them.
Explain that you are there to try and get the council to declare a climate emergency and implement a climate emergency response. We list below some tactics you can use during the meeting to help your succeed.
2.1 During the meeting get an understanding of their understanding of global warming
You might choose to immediately ask what they know about global warming if you don't already have an idea of how much they know.
Do they accept global warming exists? Do they accept global warming is human-caused? Do they accept the climate emergency?
This will guide you as to where you need to start the conversation, for example, the basic science of global warming, or why we are in an emergency.
2.2 Link global warming to something they value
When explaining the climate emergency, link it to things they care about. For example:
You can provide them a copy of one of the many Breakthrough booklets or even a copy of Climate Code Red.
When explaining the climate emergency, link it to things they care about. For example:
- family - do they have kids or young relatives who will have to live in a world devastated by global warming
- personal reputation - do they want to be seen as, or want to be, the person who leads or a person who is a laggard on this issue
- view of council - do they want their council to be seen as a leader or as a follower
- the world's poor - these are the people who will be impacted first. For example, when global warming affected the world's wheat crops, the price of wheat skyrocketed causing hardship around the world and giving rise to the Arab Spring.
- Australia's poor - Australia's poor will also be affected first
- the world's plants and animals - if not stopped and reversed global warming will cause extinction of 90-95% of the world's species
- protecting farmland - are they a farmer. Do they want to reduce global warming impacts on farmers and food production.
- floods, fires and storms - depending on where you live in Australia, your region may have already been hit by extreme weather, or devastating flood and fires. Reducing impacts of these events on your community might be an important driver.
- doing good - does the person see themselves as doing what is right
- protecting god's creation - is the person religious
- the future - do they care about people and the future we are making for everyone on this planet
- refugees - global warming will create many more refugees and food systems fails and low lying lands drown.
You can provide them a copy of one of the many Breakthrough booklets or even a copy of Climate Code Red.
2.3 Make a case for how bad global warming is and will be
We need to convince them there is a serious and immediate threat to something they care about:
We need to convince them there is a serious and immediate threat to something they care about:
- melting ice caps
- rising seas
- extreme weather
- destruction of the Great Barrier Reef, northern mangroves, and southern kelp forests
- India's fence around Bangladesh
- positive feedback loops already in train
- etc.
2.4 Explain what we need to do to solve the problem and that the problem is solvable
If people don't believe there is solution, or know how we can overcome the barriers to the solutions, they will switch off. Make sure you watch Daniel Voronoff's video on this issue.
Where are the solutions? Beyond Zero Emissions and other think tanks are developing detailed solutions to the global warming crisis.
Paul Hawken has recently released a book "Draw Down" with an excellent summary of activities which we can undertake to reach zero emissions and ultimately reverse global warming, noting that his time frames are too slow.
These CACE slides (with notes) step through the Climate Emergency Councils rationale and solutions from start to finish and take about 30 min to present.
If people don't believe there is solution, or know how we can overcome the barriers to the solutions, they will switch off. Make sure you watch Daniel Voronoff's video on this issue.
Where are the solutions? Beyond Zero Emissions and other think tanks are developing detailed solutions to the global warming crisis.
Paul Hawken has recently released a book "Draw Down" with an excellent summary of activities which we can undertake to reach zero emissions and ultimately reverse global warming, noting that his time frames are too slow.
These CACE slides (with notes) step through the Climate Emergency Councils rationale and solutions from start to finish and take about 30 min to present.
2.5 Explain the role councils can play and refer to the example of Darebin
- explain what their role is and provide them with the booklet "The Climate Emergency a Simple Guide to Councillors" (currently under development)
- also provide them with a copy of Philip Sutton's RSTI paper entitled "Local-first implementation: Why a strong climate declaration is needed – at the local government level – and what it can do"draftdarebinclimateemergencyplan2017.pdf
- use the Darebin Council's work, such as their Climate Emergency plan to help them understand what can and needs to be done.
2.6 Ask them to declare a Climate Emergency and implement a Climate Emergency response.
- ask your Councilors if they will follow Darebin's lead and acknowledge a Climate Emergency and implement a Climate Emergency response, noting that there are four key steps. (see Guide for Councils):
- Acknowledgement of the Climate Emergency
- Review your strategic plan
- Implement the strategy
- Declaration of an Climate Emergency Response and entering a emergency mode.
If they support the idea, ask the Councillor to sign the Councillor Statement of Support for a Climate Emergency declaration from the CEDAMIA Climate Emergency Declaration Campaign local government action kit and get a picture of them holding up the sign. If they refuse to sign, you can use this target at election time.
2.7 Assess the outcome
If they say yes, discuss with them the next steps:
If they say no, try to identify the key objections to declaring a Climate Emergency.
Was it:
You can then develop approaches to deal with each of these issues.
If they say yes, discuss with them the next steps:
- which other Councillors do you need to get on side
- can they help get other Councillors on side
- will they champion the issue on council
- when will the council acknowledge a Climate Emergency
- which Councillor will put the motion
- when will they review their strategic plan and develop a Climate Emergency policy.
If they say no, try to identify the key objections to declaring a Climate Emergency.
Was it:
- they don't accept climate science
- they don't accept that current impacts are caused by global warming
- they don't accept that current impacts are significant
- they don't accept the extreme risks for our future
- they need more time to think about it
- they don't think it is the council's role or within councils capacity
- they did not find something that they valued that would be impacted
- rejecting global warming is part of their personal or political identity.
You can then develop approaches to deal with each of these issues.
3. Meet the remaining Councillors
Keep working through the current Councillors till you have met will all of them. If you fail to get a majority move to the next step, building a campaign.
Keep working through the current Councillors till you have met will all of them. If you fail to get a majority move to the next step, building a campaign.
