Posts filed under ‘Moreland Council’
High Speed Rail advocacy from Moreland Council over aviation emissions growth
High speed rail in Taiwan Via Flickr (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
High speed rail is being placed back on the political agenda by Moreland Council arising from the problem of growth in aviation emissions as embedded within Melbourne Airport expansion plans, and the necessity to find alternatives to aviation emissions.
Moreland Council passed a resolution at the October Council meeting to advocate “to State and Federal Governments by writing to the Ministers for Planning, Transport and Environment as well as local Members of State and Federal parliament, that investment should be focused on the establishment of a Very Fast Train to connect Australia’s cities instead of expanding the privately-owned airports.”
The Melbourne-Sydney flight route is the second busiest domestic flight route globally.(Note 1) A high speed train service could provide a 3 hour Melbourne CBD to Sydney CBD service as a cost effective and low emissions alternative to flying.
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Cooling the Upfield Corridor – Moreland Council adopts plan mitigating Urban heat
Cooling the Upfield Corridor UHIE heatmap
Moreland Council has adopted the Cooling the Upfield Corridor Action Plan 2018-2019.
It is not nearly enough to cut emissions and have a zero community emissions by 2040 target, we also need to look at climate adaptation in our highly built up urban environment. This too is part of a climate emergency response framework.
The urban heat island effect amplifies temperatures due to the urban built infrastructure and surfaces such as roads and carparks. Our Municipality is especially vulnerable to the urban heat island effect.
In coming decades Melbourne is likely to experience 50 degrees days according to researchers at the ANU, even if we limit global temperatures to 2 degrees or the much more ambituous 1.5 degrees target.
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Transport Policy in Moreland for the Climate Emergency
Upfield path at Brunswick station
Climate Emergency
The Paris Climate Agreement aspirational target limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees is starting to look unachievable. Even meeting the hard target of 2 degrees, which will still result in huge damage (e.g. probable loss of the Great Barrier Reef), will require governments everywhere to lift their game.
We are pleased to hear that Moreland Council acknowledged we are in a state of climate emergency at the Council meeting on 12 September 2018.
We note Moreland Council’s community emissions reduction policies and targets for 2020 and 2040. Transport is one of the largest sources of greenhouse emissions, amounting to 25.8 per cent of emissions in Moreland in 2013-14. Governments at all levels need to lift their game.
Greenhouse Emissions from Transport
Transport is one of the largest sources of greenhouse emissions, amounting to 19 per cent Australia wide, and 25.8 per cent of emissions in Moreland in 2013-14. Here too, governments at all levels need to lift their game.
Major Change in Priorities for Transport Infrastructure
At the state level we think a major shift is needed in Transport infrastructure funding. In 2018 Roads funding was 69.1 per cent, Public Transport 30.5 per cent and Active Transport just 0.36 per cent. There needs to be a major priority change in this area to meet climate targets.
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Moreland sets zero net community emissions 2040 target
Moreland 2040 Framework
As well as acknowledging we are in a state of climate emergency at the Moreland Council meeting on 12 September 2018, there were several other significant policies and resolutions from Council. The most important was setting a long term target of zero net community emissions by 2040.
As well as the long term target and putting in place a framework and five year activity plans to achieve the target, Council’s 2014 Zero Carbon Evolution Strategy with a target of 22 per cent reduction in community emissions by 2020 from a 2011 base, was also revisited. Some areas of this strategy were not performing up to the targets set, so assessments were done of what was working well, and areas that needed to be closely addressed to rejig the plan to keep it on track.
Media Release: Moreland Council adopts Climate Emergency
Moreland resident and Climate Angel Bronwyn Plarre with a Climate Emergency sign
Media Release
Moreland Council adopts climate emergency
At the City of Moreland Council Meeting on 12th September, Councillors unanimously adopted a resolution acknowledging that “we are in a state of climate emergency that requires urgent action by all levels of government, including local Councils.”
Convenor of Climate Action Moreland John Englart said “This is a landmark decision by Moreland Council that takes account of the need for rapid action and leadership on climate change”
“While leadership has been sorely lacking by the Federal Government for the last 5 years, we are pleased that our local government is filling the void on a local level and is following our neighbours in Darebin in adopting a climate emergency framework.” he said
Submission: Moreland Integrated Transport Strategy
MITS – capacity of a transport corridor at peak time of different transport modes
Transport is an important sector for emissions reduction both in Australia and locally in Moreland. Moreland Council have prepared a draft Moreland Integrated Transport Strategy to ‘drive’ the reduction in transport emissions through increased use of public transport, cycling and walkable neighborhoods and commercial centres. We commend Moreland Council for the policy goals in this strategy of reducing transport emissions.
Transport is a more complex area than energy to get emissions reduction at the local level as many of the important policy levers are driven by State politics and infrastructure investment.
Some of us in Climate Action Moreland attended and participated in the Brunswick Residents Network forums on the Draft Moreland Integrated Transport Strategy. The Brunswick Residents Network have done a considerably detailed submission which we broadly endorse for consideration of incorporation in the Council’s final strategy document.
There were a number of issues which we think weren’t covered by the Brunswick Residents Network submission.
Of particular note is the importance for continued advocacy for improvements to the quality, service frequency and extension of public transport services in and through our municipality.
A second consideration is co-ordinating and co-operating with adjacent Municipal Councils to improve public transport and cycling links. Both points address social equity both within Moreland and within the northern Melbourne region. Advocating for extension of the Upfield line to Wallan can improve equity issues for Melbourne’s northern urban fringe and also address one of the drivers for congestion in Moreland.
Improving arterial cycling connections to neighboring areas will encourage more residents to cycle and more people visiting Moreland by bicycle to see friends, to shop and use services in our municipality.
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Moving towards zero waste in Moreland by 2030
Time to reduce our waste and the embedded emissions in waste to landfill. Moreland Council has already set a target of zero waste to landfill by 2030. Now we need to make this happen.
Everyone has heard about China refusing to take recycling with high levels of contaminants. We have also had huge stockpiles of recycling materials at Coolaroo in Hume Municipality which has resulted in a number of fires, with heavy smoke blowing over Moreland, residential evacuations, and contamination of Merlynston Creek waterway.
Each year the cost to Moreland ratepayers of the collection and landfilling of general waste from households amounts to over $6 million.
We need to get much better at recycling and reducing consumption with waste packaging and becoming more a circular economy.
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