Declaring an emergency: options for motions and commitments
This page provides a series of options for councils seeking to acknowledge or declare a climate emergency and to commit to emergency action.
For more detail on going beyond just a motion and getting into full emergency mode please see the page, Entering Emergency Mode, or for councils not seeking to go into emergency mode please check out our Post Declaration page for ideas on how to improve you climate response.
On this page you will find the following:
1. Your motion to acknowledge we are in a climate emergency.
2. What is the deference between declaring a climate emergency and acknowledging we are in a climate emergency.
3. Can a council declare a climate emergency and act in emergency mode?
4. Can our motion include more than just and acknowledgement and an commitment to action?
5. Getting your motion through your council
6. Dealing with the push back from councillors seeking to delay emergency action on global warming.
The 2018 version of this page, which covers "How to acknowledge we are in a climate emergency", is available from the PDF below.
| cace_council_fact_sheet_2_motions_of_acknowledgement_and_commitment_to_action.pdf |
1. Your motion to acknowledge we are in a climate emergency
A first step for a council's climate emergency response is a public acknowledgement of the climate emergency as a motion of Council. Each motion needs to have two essential parts.
To be formally listed as a Climate Emergency Declaration by CEDAMIA / ICEF (International Climate Emergency Forum) you need only to include the first part, which they define as a "a clause clearly declaring or acknowledging the Climate Emergency".
However unless you include a significant commitment to act you will be undermining the climate emergency campaign by sending the wrong message to the community and higher levels of government that inaction is OK.
We want a climate emergency declaration to be much more than symbolic, hence it is vital for councils if declaring or acknowledging we are in emergency mode to act like we are in an emergency and enter an emergency mode as soon as possible.
Below we list a range of draft text options for councils to consider. Chose one from each step or construct your own based on the ones presented.
Part A: The emergency acknowledgement
The below statements represent a series of options to acknowledge we are in a climate emergency and can be used to model you own council acknowledgement on.
Remember you must include emergency in your declaration to be included on the Cedamia list if you are from an English speaking country. Words such as "urgency" and "crisis" can be in used but you still must acknowledge that we are in a "climate emergency".
Stronger
Council acknowledges that current levels of global warming and future warming already committed to constitute nothing less than an emergency for most life on this planet. Maximising survival of life on this planet and minimising suffering requires an emergency response by all levels of government, including local government. Time wasted now in implementing effective solutions will result in more avoidable loss and suffering.
Strong
Council acknowledges that current levels of global warming and future warming already committed to constitute nothing less than an emergency for most life on this planet, requiring an emergency response by all levels of government, including local government.
Darebin / Yarra (actual text)
Council recognises that we are in a state of climate emergency that requires urgent action by all levels of government, including by local councils.
You can also chose to acknowledge we are also in an ecological emergency as well as a climate emergency. This form of acknowledgement is used by members of Extinction Rebellion and most UK councils. Acknowledging we are in an ecological emergency helps highlight the range of issues beyond climate change that also threaten our ecology and humanity's survival.
Part B: The commitment to action
The below statements provide a range of options for commitments to action by council following their acknowledgement.
Immediate declaration and move into emergency mode
Council declares a climate emergency and will move into emergency mode. Council commits to a climate emergency response where Council directs all available resources to completion of the follow actions within 6 months of the passage of this motion. Council resolves to:
1. Call in and revise the Council Plan [or equivalent] immediately and prioritise a climate emergency response within the plan.
2. Allocate additional staff resources to enable the execution of steps 3-6.
3. Appoint a Council Advisory Committee of climate emergency experts to assist with steps 3-6.
4. Develop a climate emergency plan to guide the implementation of a climate emergency response within Council.
5. Conduct change management processes to educate Council staff about the climate emergency and develop a new approach to Council business to facilitate a climate emergency response.
6. Review all existing policies and plans with a view to facilitating a climate emergency response.
7. Review all existing expenditure in order to redirect funds to a climate emergency response where possible
Council’s climate emergency response will be directed to (a) implementing climate restoration and resilience solutions and (b) accelerating the adoption of a climate emergency response by other councils, state/territory governments, the national government and the international governance system and underpinned by the principle of seeking to achieve maximum protection for all life on this planet.
.
Very Strong - move into emergency mode within 12 months
Council resolves to:
1. Call in and revise the Council Plan immediately and prioritise a climate emergency response within the Plan.
2. Allocate additional staff resources to enable the execution of steps 4-7.
3. Appoint a Council Advisory Committee of climate emergency experts to assist with steps 4-7.
4. Develop a climate emergency plan to guide the implementation of a climate emergency response within Council.
5. Conduct change management processes to educate Council staff about the climate emergency and develop a new approach to Council business to facilitate a climate emergency response.
6. Review all existing policies and plans with a view to facilitating a climate emergency response.
7. Roll out a public education and support-building campaign in order to provide broad community support for the council to declare a climate emergency and move into climate emergency mode.
Councils commit to the completion of steps 1-7 and formally declare a climate emergency to trigger an emergency response where Council directs all available resources to complete its climate emergency response, within 12 months of the passage of this motion. Council’s climate emergency response will be directed to (a) implementing climate restoration and resilience solutions and (b) accelerating the adoption of a climate emergency response by other councils, state/territory governments, the national government and the international governance system.
Strong - ensuring all decision making now considers the climate emergency
That the proposal is passed such that Macclesfield Town Council declares a Climate Emergency and that this affects all future decision making of the council.
Strong - building the potential for an emergency response in the future
With a view to developing and implementing, as its highest priority, a climate emergency response by Council and the XYZ community, Council resolves to:
1. Immediately call in and revise the Council Plan [or equivalent] and immediately prioritise a climate emergency response within the plan.
2. Develop a climate emergency plan.
3. Appoint a Council Advisory Committee of climate emergency experts.
Strong - coordinating climate emergency related elements under expert group (text summaries approached currently being investigated by LA).
Council resolves 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 have authority over other City Departments. Los Angeles City Council
Medium - building the potential for an emergency response in the future
Council resolves to immediately review the current Council Plan with a view to developing and implementing a climate emergency response by Council and the XYZ community as its highest priority, including the development of a new Climate Emergency Plan to guide the emergency response by Council.
Limited - seeks to improve the current climate response but unlikely to be developed in a full emergency response
Council resolves to immediately develop a new Climate Emergency Plan to guide the emergency response by Council.
You might also consider replacing the "advisory committee of climate emergency experts" action items above with a citizens assembly or include the formation of a citizens' assembly as a separate action point. A citizens' assembly is the third demand of the Extinction Rebellion and [in short] seeks to get a random group of citizens to propose emergency action on global warming and the ecological emergency, after a bit of training on the issue by topic experts. (See Extinction Rebellion's Website for more information on citizens' assemblies).
The significant risk in a citizens' assembly is the choice of topic experts. For example if a council chooses to invite experts who back the suicidal targets of "net zero by 2050 or 2040" rather than the climate emergency targets of "net negative by 2025 or 2030," then you will of course bias your results to some degree and the assembly could possibly conclude no emergency action was required.
Councils in Australia and around the world are welcome to contact CACE to get suitable topic experts who can educate on the topic of global warming in an emergency frame for your own staff or community education and training requirements or if you are running a citizens' assembly.
A first step for a council's climate emergency response is a public acknowledgement of the climate emergency as a motion of Council. Each motion needs to have two essential parts.
- acknowledge the climate emergency
- a commitment to act.
To be formally listed as a Climate Emergency Declaration by CEDAMIA / ICEF (International Climate Emergency Forum) you need only to include the first part, which they define as a "a clause clearly declaring or acknowledging the Climate Emergency".
However unless you include a significant commitment to act you will be undermining the climate emergency campaign by sending the wrong message to the community and higher levels of government that inaction is OK.
We want a climate emergency declaration to be much more than symbolic, hence it is vital for councils if declaring or acknowledging we are in emergency mode to act like we are in an emergency and enter an emergency mode as soon as possible.
Below we list a range of draft text options for councils to consider. Chose one from each step or construct your own based on the ones presented.
Part A: The emergency acknowledgement
The below statements represent a series of options to acknowledge we are in a climate emergency and can be used to model you own council acknowledgement on.
Remember you must include emergency in your declaration to be included on the Cedamia list if you are from an English speaking country. Words such as "urgency" and "crisis" can be in used but you still must acknowledge that we are in a "climate emergency".
Stronger
Council acknowledges that current levels of global warming and future warming already committed to constitute nothing less than an emergency for most life on this planet. Maximising survival of life on this planet and minimising suffering requires an emergency response by all levels of government, including local government. Time wasted now in implementing effective solutions will result in more avoidable loss and suffering.
Strong
Council acknowledges that current levels of global warming and future warming already committed to constitute nothing less than an emergency for most life on this planet, requiring an emergency response by all levels of government, including local government.
Darebin / Yarra (actual text)
Council recognises that we are in a state of climate emergency that requires urgent action by all levels of government, including by local councils.
You can also chose to acknowledge we are also in an ecological emergency as well as a climate emergency. This form of acknowledgement is used by members of Extinction Rebellion and most UK councils. Acknowledging we are in an ecological emergency helps highlight the range of issues beyond climate change that also threaten our ecology and humanity's survival.
Part B: The commitment to action
The below statements provide a range of options for commitments to action by council following their acknowledgement.
Immediate declaration and move into emergency mode
Council declares a climate emergency and will move into emergency mode. Council commits to a climate emergency response where Council directs all available resources to completion of the follow actions within 6 months of the passage of this motion. Council resolves to:
1. Call in and revise the Council Plan [or equivalent] immediately and prioritise a climate emergency response within the plan.
2. Allocate additional staff resources to enable the execution of steps 3-6.
3. Appoint a Council Advisory Committee of climate emergency experts to assist with steps 3-6.
4. Develop a climate emergency plan to guide the implementation of a climate emergency response within Council.
5. Conduct change management processes to educate Council staff about the climate emergency and develop a new approach to Council business to facilitate a climate emergency response.
6. Review all existing policies and plans with a view to facilitating a climate emergency response.
7. Review all existing expenditure in order to redirect funds to a climate emergency response where possible
Council’s climate emergency response will be directed to (a) implementing climate restoration and resilience solutions and (b) accelerating the adoption of a climate emergency response by other councils, state/territory governments, the national government and the international governance system and underpinned by the principle of seeking to achieve maximum protection for all life on this planet.
.
Very Strong - move into emergency mode within 12 months
Council resolves to:
1. Call in and revise the Council Plan immediately and prioritise a climate emergency response within the Plan.
2. Allocate additional staff resources to enable the execution of steps 4-7.
3. Appoint a Council Advisory Committee of climate emergency experts to assist with steps 4-7.
4. Develop a climate emergency plan to guide the implementation of a climate emergency response within Council.
5. Conduct change management processes to educate Council staff about the climate emergency and develop a new approach to Council business to facilitate a climate emergency response.
6. Review all existing policies and plans with a view to facilitating a climate emergency response.
7. Roll out a public education and support-building campaign in order to provide broad community support for the council to declare a climate emergency and move into climate emergency mode.
Councils commit to the completion of steps 1-7 and formally declare a climate emergency to trigger an emergency response where Council directs all available resources to complete its climate emergency response, within 12 months of the passage of this motion. Council’s climate emergency response will be directed to (a) implementing climate restoration and resilience solutions and (b) accelerating the adoption of a climate emergency response by other councils, state/territory governments, the national government and the international governance system.
Strong - ensuring all decision making now considers the climate emergency
That the proposal is passed such that Macclesfield Town Council declares a Climate Emergency and that this affects all future decision making of the council.
Strong - building the potential for an emergency response in the future
With a view to developing and implementing, as its highest priority, a climate emergency response by Council and the XYZ community, Council resolves to:
1. Immediately call in and revise the Council Plan [or equivalent] and immediately prioritise a climate emergency response within the plan.
2. Develop a climate emergency plan.
3. Appoint a Council Advisory Committee of climate emergency experts.
Strong - coordinating climate emergency related elements under expert group (text summaries approached currently being investigated by LA).
Council resolves 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 have authority over other City Departments. Los Angeles City Council
Medium - building the potential for an emergency response in the future
Council resolves to immediately review the current Council Plan with a view to developing and implementing a climate emergency response by Council and the XYZ community as its highest priority, including the development of a new Climate Emergency Plan to guide the emergency response by Council.
Limited - seeks to improve the current climate response but unlikely to be developed in a full emergency response
Council resolves to immediately develop a new Climate Emergency Plan to guide the emergency response by Council.
You might also consider replacing the "advisory committee of climate emergency experts" action items above with a citizens assembly or include the formation of a citizens' assembly as a separate action point. A citizens' assembly is the third demand of the Extinction Rebellion and [in short] seeks to get a random group of citizens to propose emergency action on global warming and the ecological emergency, after a bit of training on the issue by topic experts. (See Extinction Rebellion's Website for more information on citizens' assemblies).
The significant risk in a citizens' assembly is the choice of topic experts. For example if a council chooses to invite experts who back the suicidal targets of "net zero by 2050 or 2040" rather than the climate emergency targets of "net negative by 2025 or 2030," then you will of course bias your results to some degree and the assembly could possibly conclude no emergency action was required.
Councils in Australia and around the world are welcome to contact CACE to get suitable topic experts who can educate on the topic of global warming in an emergency frame for your own staff or community education and training requirements or if you are running a citizens' assembly.
Other declarations from around the world.
You might be interested in taking a look at some of the other declarations from around the world.
CANADA
The Climate Emergency Motions started by Group Mobilisation (https://www.groupmobilisation.com/) who are the people who drove the 100's of declarations in Quebec represent an excellent example and include significant detail on why we need to mobilise as well as a specific call for declaring a "state of climate emergency".
Their declaration is available in three languages:
USA
Climate Mobilization (USA) is the group leading the push for emergency declaration and mobilisations in the USA. This declaration templates includes references to climate justice and partisan elements such as the Green New Deal.
You might be interested in taking a look at some of the other declarations from around the world.
CANADA
The Climate Emergency Motions started by Group Mobilisation (https://www.groupmobilisation.com/) who are the people who drove the 100's of declarations in Quebec represent an excellent example and include significant detail on why we need to mobilise as well as a specific call for declaring a "state of climate emergency".
Their declaration is available in three languages:
- French (the original document): https://www.groupmobilisation.com/la-duc
- English translation: https://www.groupmobilisation.com/the-dce-english
- Spanish translation: https://www.groupmobilisation.com/la-dec-espanol
USA
Climate Mobilization (USA) is the group leading the push for emergency declaration and mobilisations in the USA. This declaration templates includes references to climate justice and partisan elements such as the Green New Deal.
- Draft text for local government declarations docs.google.com/document/d/1dA3Jnx4xlrqrMrlyITdtD_WBynr_UuU-cjuZpyW7Gts/edit?usp=sharing
2. What is the deference between declaring a climate emergency and acknowledging we are in a climate emergency.
When the idea was first developed for a Climate Emergency Declaration by councils it was envisioned in two parts.
The first part was an acknowledgement that we are in a climate emergency by a motion of council. This acknowledgement represented the start of a council's work to develop an emergency response.
The second part was a Climate Emergency Declaration as a motion of council. This represented the moment council publicly and formally enters into an emergency mode. (A suggested process for entering into emergency mode is outlined here in "Entering Emergency Mode").
However we have seen many councils "declare a climate emergency" as their first step with no real intent to enter into an emergency mode. This is problematic as lack of emergency framed action has potential to undermine the campaign by sending the wrong message to the public and state, federal and national governments.
We would prefer you only Declare a Climate Emergency when you are about to go into a full emergency mode.
When the idea was first developed for a Climate Emergency Declaration by councils it was envisioned in two parts.
The first part was an acknowledgement that we are in a climate emergency by a motion of council. This acknowledgement represented the start of a council's work to develop an emergency response.
The second part was a Climate Emergency Declaration as a motion of council. This represented the moment council publicly and formally enters into an emergency mode. (A suggested process for entering into emergency mode is outlined here in "Entering Emergency Mode").
However we have seen many councils "declare a climate emergency" as their first step with no real intent to enter into an emergency mode. This is problematic as lack of emergency framed action has potential to undermine the campaign by sending the wrong message to the public and state, federal and national governments.
We would prefer you only Declare a Climate Emergency when you are about to go into a full emergency mode.
3. Can a council declare a climate emergency and act in emergency mode
The short answer is yes, however depending where you are in the world, a council may or may not be able to formally declare an emergency as defined by a state or national law.
In the Australian context the power to declare a formal states of emergency rests with state and federal governments. Consequently climate emergency declarations by councils in Australia are not formal declaration in law but are formal declaration in the form of a motion of council designed to:
1. educate the public about how bad the threat global warming poses through the act of an acknowledgement or declaration
2. force action by higher levels of government and highlight their current failure to act in anyway that could avert a catastrophe (i.e Net zero by 2050 target or support of coal and gas etc.)
3. provide the narrative framing for mitigation, resilience and advocacy action by local governments (or other organisations declaring emergencies i.e schools, businesses etc)
Most enabling legislation for councils allows councils to act in the best interest of and or for the well being of their community. For example 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".
(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)
In this sense if a council decides that "declaring a climate emergency" it the best thing a council can do for the future of their community then they "can" do it.
It is very unlikely a state or federal government will challenge a climate emergency acknowledgement / declaration and a number of national governments have already followed local government lead. No declaration has yet been challenged (9 Sep 19)
The only likely challenge from a state or national government is when a council seeks to enter into a full emergency mode and chose to pass budgets focusing significant resources towards mitigation, resilience, and advocacy breaking the council business as usual model.
If a state or national government disagrees with the council action by refusing to pass an emergency budget or sack the council, this is a good thing as it will allow focus on higher levels of government for stopping emergency action.
A state or national government seeking to stop climate emergency action by a council allows us to creat and use the narrative that the state or federal government is deliberately halting emergency action on global warming - a narrative that already exists in Australia in relation to our Federal Liberal / national Coalition government.
There is even the potential to fight any state or federal government negative response in court.
For more information on local government acts and regulations see:
The short answer is yes, however depending where you are in the world, a council may or may not be able to formally declare an emergency as defined by a state or national law.
In the Australian context the power to declare a formal states of emergency rests with state and federal governments. Consequently climate emergency declarations by councils in Australia are not formal declaration in law but are formal declaration in the form of a motion of council designed to:
1. educate the public about how bad the threat global warming poses through the act of an acknowledgement or declaration
2. force action by higher levels of government and highlight their current failure to act in anyway that could avert a catastrophe (i.e Net zero by 2050 target or support of coal and gas etc.)
3. provide the narrative framing for mitigation, resilience and advocacy action by local governments (or other organisations declaring emergencies i.e schools, businesses etc)
Most enabling legislation for councils allows councils to act in the best interest of and or for the well being of their community. For example 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".
(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)
In this sense if a council decides that "declaring a climate emergency" it the best thing a council can do for the future of their community then they "can" do it.
It is very unlikely a state or federal government will challenge a climate emergency acknowledgement / declaration and a number of national governments have already followed local government lead. No declaration has yet been challenged (9 Sep 19)
The only likely challenge from a state or national government is when a council seeks to enter into a full emergency mode and chose to pass budgets focusing significant resources towards mitigation, resilience, and advocacy breaking the council business as usual model.
If a state or national government disagrees with the council action by refusing to pass an emergency budget or sack the council, this is a good thing as it will allow focus on higher levels of government for stopping emergency action.
A state or national government seeking to stop climate emergency action by a council allows us to creat and use the narrative that the state or federal government is deliberately halting emergency action on global warming - a narrative that already exists in Australia in relation to our Federal Liberal / national Coalition government.
There is even the potential to fight any state or federal government negative response in court.
For more information on 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
4. Can our motion include more than just and acknowledgement and an commitment to action
Yes it can, however the two critical elements are still the acknowledgement or declaration of a climate emergency and the commitment to action.
CEDAMIA lists what is considers the best examples from the many of the Climate Emergency Declarations from different councils around the world and breaks the elements of a Climate Emergency motion into the following sections:
Yes it can, however the two critical elements are still the acknowledgement or declaration of a climate emergency and the commitment to action.
CEDAMIA lists what is considers the best examples from the many of the Climate Emergency Declarations from different councils around the world and breaks the elements of a Climate Emergency motion into the following sections:
- The evidence: reference to the IPCC Special Report, recent increases in carbon emissions, and/or other arguments for taking action in an emergency mode.
- The precedents: the number of jurisdictions passing CED motions and/or local community pressure or petitions to do so.
- Action so far: acknowledgement of current climate mitigation activities by local council BUT that more urgency is required.
- The declaration: a clause clearly declaring or acknowledging the climate emergency.
- Next actions: a resolution to draw up a comprehensive action plan and/or make climate a key focus when making all decisions
- Scope and targets: a focus on community-wide engagement and emissions reduction, not just council’s own operations, possibly with target dates for achievements
- Advocacy: a resolution to encourage other councils and higher levels of government to also take climate emergency action
- Local issues: actions related to specific local climate concerns
5. What is not in a Climate Emergency response
Empty rhetoric
Don't make an resolution or motion that acknowledges the climate emergency without proposing significant immediate additional actions to your council's response to global warming including the development of a Climate Emergency plan.
Weak goals, no half measures or transitional investments
Goals that talk about for example "90% renewables" or "low emissions options" should not be in a Climate Emergency plan or motion unless there is a very specific reason to do so. 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 supporting statements on half-measures or transitional options that come from other levels of government.
Suicidal Goals and Long time frames
Timelines that talk about achieving major targets in longer than 10 years are not part of a Climate Emergency response i.e. net zero by 2040, included through a administrative error in many of the recent [mid 2019] Greenpeace council petitions run in Australian, is not a climate emergency response.
Empty rhetoric
Don't make an resolution or motion that acknowledges the climate emergency without proposing significant immediate additional actions to your council's response to global warming including the development of a Climate Emergency plan.
Weak goals, no half measures or transitional investments
Goals that talk about for example "90% renewables" or "low emissions options" should not be in a Climate Emergency plan or motion unless there is a very specific reason to do so. 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 supporting statements on half-measures or transitional options that come from other levels of government.
Suicidal Goals and Long time frames
Timelines that talk about achieving major targets in longer than 10 years are not part of a Climate Emergency response i.e. net zero by 2040, included through a administrative error in many of the recent [mid 2019] Greenpeace council petitions run in Australian, is not a climate emergency response.
6. Getting your motion through your council
Getting you motions through you council is pretty much a numbers game. Hopefully your community has done enough work to make sure you have a majority, but as a councillor you can seek to influence other councillors on your council as well.
We know games are played at council levels to enable councillors to achieve outcomes while on council, particularly in councils not controlled by a tight block. We know councils trade votes on important issues and may trade them for a chance of becoming Mayor or even removing an Mayor that someone doesn't like.
In your negotiations we would ask you treat this issue with the important is deserves. You can even refuse to deal on this issue because it is so important.
If you don't have the numbers?
If you don't have the number and it doesn't look like any other councillors will budge, don't worry and put the climate emergency motion anyway.
Vote against any amendments that remove the words "climate emergency', even if they offer to replace them with words such as "crisis", "urgent" etc. or keep the words "climate emergency" but somehow restrict council action to a meaningless level or make a mockery of it.
Make sure those who voted for or against each motion is recorded in the minutes.
If those opposing emergency action have the numbers and force the motion to be amended and remove the emergency references vote against this amended motion.
Alternatively they might just put a non climate emergency motion forward right from the start as happened in Knox [Oct 19]. Vote against these type of motions as well.
In either case make sure you vote against any motion that is not a climate emergency motion and have the vote record in the minutes.
If you fail
Make contact with community campaigners and help them develop and strengthen their campaign to get a full climate emergency motion passed.
Getting you motions through you council is pretty much a numbers game. Hopefully your community has done enough work to make sure you have a majority, but as a councillor you can seek to influence other councillors on your council as well.
We know games are played at council levels to enable councillors to achieve outcomes while on council, particularly in councils not controlled by a tight block. We know councils trade votes on important issues and may trade them for a chance of becoming Mayor or even removing an Mayor that someone doesn't like.
In your negotiations we would ask you treat this issue with the important is deserves. You can even refuse to deal on this issue because it is so important.
If you don't have the numbers?
If you don't have the number and it doesn't look like any other councillors will budge, don't worry and put the climate emergency motion anyway.
Vote against any amendments that remove the words "climate emergency', even if they offer to replace them with words such as "crisis", "urgent" etc. or keep the words "climate emergency" but somehow restrict council action to a meaningless level or make a mockery of it.
Make sure those who voted for or against each motion is recorded in the minutes.
If those opposing emergency action have the numbers and force the motion to be amended and remove the emergency references vote against this amended motion.
Alternatively they might just put a non climate emergency motion forward right from the start as happened in Knox [Oct 19]. Vote against these type of motions as well.
In either case make sure you vote against any motion that is not a climate emergency motion and have the vote record in the minutes.
If you fail
Make contact with community campaigners and help them develop and strengthen their campaign to get a full climate emergency motion passed.
7. Push back from councillors seeking to delay emergency action on global warming
The is now a structured, professionally scripted push back against climate emergency action by councillors seeking to delay action on global warming being repeated a number of councils around Australia.
In one sense this is a good thing in that the people representing the interests of those profiting from global warming see an emergency response by councils a a real threat to their business models.
Though it is quite amazing that even as parts of California is being destroyed by another climate related fire, people are willing to go on the public record to delay action on global warming and put themselves on the wrong side of history.
Those councillors that do this will likely have their future political destroyed because of their opposition to emergency action.
Their core goal at the moment [Oct 19] seems to be removal of the "emergency" element of the motions.
One of the patterns we have observed starts with the lead opposing councilor making a speech that initially sounds like they are support the emergency motion. They claim they are concern about climate change. see global warming as a threat, they can claim they want action on climate change for their kids, they even may use the word crisis or urgent but at towards the end of the speech they say .... "BUT it is not an emergency" and then start to put forward of argument why. They are then supported by one or more other speakers speaking more directly against the motion.
The arguments use include:
Directly questioning the threat
Not the role of council
Using current lack of action to justify it not being an emergency [this is a strange one but has be used]
The is now a structured, professionally scripted push back against climate emergency action by councillors seeking to delay action on global warming being repeated a number of councils around Australia.
In one sense this is a good thing in that the people representing the interests of those profiting from global warming see an emergency response by councils a a real threat to their business models.
Though it is quite amazing that even as parts of California is being destroyed by another climate related fire, people are willing to go on the public record to delay action on global warming and put themselves on the wrong side of history.
Those councillors that do this will likely have their future political destroyed because of their opposition to emergency action.
Their core goal at the moment [Oct 19] seems to be removal of the "emergency" element of the motions.
One of the patterns we have observed starts with the lead opposing councilor making a speech that initially sounds like they are support the emergency motion. They claim they are concern about climate change. see global warming as a threat, they can claim they want action on climate change for their kids, they even may use the word crisis or urgent but at towards the end of the speech they say .... "BUT it is not an emergency" and then start to put forward of argument why. They are then supported by one or more other speakers speaking more directly against the motion.
The arguments use include:
Directly questioning the threat
- "it is a crisis but not an emergency"
- "it is urgent but not an emergency"
- "The UN Special report gives us ten years to turn this around... of course its emergency" ,
- "you are telling me the incidents of fire, floods and [[other event] in [name locations] are not an emergency.",
- "inaction to date is threatening the survival of humanity as a species, anything less than an emergency response will result in untold death and suffering"
Not the role of council
- "council should focus on road rates & rubbish"
- "it is not the role of council to to declare an emergency"
- "under our state law councils are legally obliged to have regard to "the social, economic and environmental viability and sustainability of the municipal district;", [Vic example insert your own states version - note legal page coming soon] there is no more serious threat to our council, our community and this planet than global warming".
- "Road rates and rubbish are three excellent ways the council can respond to the climate emergency, whether it is encouraging sustainable transport, using rate discounts to support sustainable action or to pay back eco loans, or turning our rubbishing into biochar to drawn down green house gases for example"
- "the failure of state and federal government to treat this as an emergency is exactly the reason we are wanting we want this council to take emergency action."
- "Our council is already leading in this space. We are doing XYZ..."
- "It is great our council is doing XYZ, and thanks to [insert name of councillor or staff member who drove the program], but until our council in full emergency mode, using all our discretionary funding and resources to mitigate, adapt to and advocate to higher levels of government for emergency action to reverse global warming we will never be doing enough. Until our response to global warming is sitting on the front page of the website, is the lead article on every newsletter, until we are going door to door educating our community we are not doing enough. Until our planet start to cool we are not doing enough"
Using current lack of action to justify it not being an emergency [this is a strange one but has be used]
- "If it was an emergency we would be doing ..... [councillors list a range of emergency style action]"
- "Councillor X that is excitably the point. We want that level of emergency action, we are currently not doing it and should."
