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Petition: Zero emissions by 2030 target for Moreland Council

June 2, 2021 at 1:53 am morelandclimategroup Leave a comment

The City of Moreland declared a climate emergency in September 2018. It has a current zero community emissions 2040 target. Climate Action Moreland and Neighbours United for Climate Action has a petition to Moreland Council to reduce this zero emissions target to 2030. This is consistent with recent science in addressing the urgency of global warming.

Sign the petition at: https://www.petitions.net/moreland_council_adopt_a_zero_carbon_moreland_target_by_2030

1. We note the work of local climate analyst David Spratt who argues in an April 2021 Breakthrough Institute briefing note that:

For developed nations, emissions need to be at zero by 2030 or earlier; and there is a strong case of that applying to the whole world.

CARBON BUDGETS FOR 1.5 & 2°C, Briefing Note, April 2021 (PDF)

2. An April 2021 Climate Council report argued that global warming is accelerating and we need to step up our climate action and level of ambition:

Australia should aim to reduce emissions by 75% below 2005 levels by 2030 and reach net zero emissions by 2035. This is a fair and achievable contribution to the global task and an imperative given our high vulnerability to escalating extreme weather.

Aim High, Go Fast: Why Emissions Need to Plummet this Decade, Climate Council, 15 April 2021

3. The Australian Academy of Science 2021 report on The risks to Australia of a 3°C warmer world also highlighted the need for Australia to ramp up emissions reduction and climate targets as part of our international commitment and to avoid substantial climate impacts on agriculture and the economy, to limit bushfire impacts and heatwave health impacts.

The report says that “The planet is well on the path to devastating climate change. In 2019, Australia’s warmest year on record, average surface temperatures were 1.1°C above the pre-industrial period. Australia has warmed on average by 1.4°C since national records began in 1910. Current global and Australian policies to reverse this trend are inadequate. We must plan to do better and prepare for the worst.”

The first recommendation from this report is:

Join global leaders in increasing actions for tackling and solving climate change as a matter of urgency. Australia lags far behind the best practice demonstrated by many countries. Given how much Australia stands to lose if GHG emissions are not reduced, we also recommend that Australia accelerates its transition to net zero GHG emissions over the next 10 to 20 years.

The risks to Australia of a 3°C warmer world, Australian Academy of Science, March 2021

4. We note the Victorian Government has recently announced interim emissions reduction targets, stepping up state government commitments. The targets announced are to reduce emissions by 28-33 per cent by 2025 and 45-50 per cent by 2030. While these targets are less than we hoped, they are still substantially more than the present national targets of 26-28 percent reduction by 2030.

More ambitious city/municipal community emissions targets

Some Councils and shires, including Moreland, are now accredited as carbon neutral for Council Operations through the purchase of offset credits. The task of setting zero community emissions targets is more difficult, but it is essential to set these targets to work towards. A few Australian Councils have already established ambitious 2025 or 2030 community targets.

• Adelaide – Zero net carbon emissions by 2025 for the community
• Bass Coast Shire Council – Zero net emissions by 2030
• City of Ballarat Council – community wide net zero emissions target for 2030

We note: the work already undertaken by Moreland Council staff in preparing detailed community emissions reduction plans including the Moreland Zero Carbon – 2040 Framework and the Zero Carbon Moreland Action Plan 2020/21-2024/25.

Sources:

Ambitious climate action commitments by states, local governments and communities – Sep 2020, 100%Renewables,

Net Zero Momentum Tracker Local Government Report, March 2020

Petition Text:

In September 2018, Moreland City Council unanimously declared a climate emergency – recognising the threat that the climate crisis poses to our health, safety and livelihoods.

And, right now, Council has a target of zero carbon emissions across our community by 2040.

But scientists have warned that now is the time to act: what governments, businesses and communities do between now and 2030 will determine whether we limit potential climate catastrophe.

With the Federal government being left behind the rest of the world on climate action and the Victorian government refusing to transition away from coal any time soon, Moreland Council has the opportunity to lead action on the climate emergency.

Will you sign the petition calling on Moreland City Council to adopt a Zero Carbon Moreland target by 2030?

Current scientific evidence indicates:

• Global fossil CO2 emissions rose 62% between 1990 and 2019.
• The average global temperature for 2016–2020 is expected to be the warmest on record, about 1.1 °C above 1850-1900
• To limit global warming to 1.5°C the world needs to reduce emissions by 7.6% every year from 2020-2030.
• The ocean has absorbed more than 90% of the excess heat in the climate system.
• Arctic summer sea-ice extent has declined at a rate of approximately 12% per decade during 1979-2018.

Reference: https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/science/key-findings

Sign the Petition: https://www.petitions.net/moreland_council_adopt_a_zero_carbon_moreland_target_by_2030

Entry filed under: campaigns, Moreland Council, petition. Tags: climate targets, Moreland Council, petition, race to zero.