Gas leak closes down Sydney Road shops in Coburg: we need transition off gas
Coburg Gas leak
A large gas leak in Coburg has closed down Sydney Road between Bell street and Harding street, threatening the strip shopping area including Victoria Street Mall.
The hazardous gas leak at 424 Sydney Rd, Coburg, has prompted an emergency warning at 12.20pm on Sunday 15 November. Gas fumes spread towards Victoria St Mall. All Gas services in the area have been impacted.
Let’s get this straight: Gas is a fossil fuel. Gas leaks can be dangerous (explosive potential). Breathing Gas can affect our health. There are fugitive emissions leaks throughout the distribution system.
We need to transition residential and business customers off gas both for short term safety and health, and long term climate safety. There are good alternatives to gas for heating, cooking and most industrial uses.
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Green New Deal for Victoria passes in Upper House motion
Samantha Ratnam: Green New Deal for Victoria
On Wednesday the Legislative Council passed a motion for a Green New deal for Victoria. This motion was put forward by the Greens Leader Samantha Ratnam (Northern Metropolitan) and was supported by the Labor Party and by crossbench MPs. It comes just two weeks before the Victorian state budget will be delivered.
Samantha Ratnam is a former Councillor and Mayor of Moreland.
Congratulations to Samantha Ratnam, Leader of the Greens, in putting this motion forward; and for the Labor Party and crossbench MPs, including Fiona Patten from Northern Metropolitan Region, for supporting it.
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Epidemic Thunderstorm asthma warning: expected to become more frequent and severe due to climate change.
VicHealth warning map for thunderstorm asthma forr 11 November 2020
This is an extreme weather warning for tomorrow (Wednesday 11 November 2020) for epidemic thunderstorm asthma. Anyone who suffers asthma or heyfever should have their medications and asthma plan ready. Risk is rated as moderate for tomorrow.
The Victorian Health Department advises:
“People with current, past or undiagnosed asthma or hay fever are considered to be at risk. Having both asthma and hay fever or poorly controlled asthma increases the risk further. Those at increased risk should:
* avoid exposure to any storms that may emerge, especially the wind gusts that precede them
* have a reliever appropriately available (as discussed with your doctor or pharmacist)
* remind themselves of their asthma action plan and have practical knowledge of the four steps of asthma first aid.”
Is Moreland prepared for a mega-drought?
Drought stress on wetlands
New research from the University of Queensland suggests that Mega-droughts – droughts that last two decades or longer – are tipped to increase thanks to climate change.
Professor Hamish McGowan, the leading author of the new study, said the findings suggested climate change would lead to increased water scarcity, reduced winter snow cover, more frequent bushfires and wind erosion. The research looked at geological records from the Eemian Period – 129,000 to 116,000 years ago – when temperature were similar to or slightly higher than today.
Mega droughts will change how we use water, and also have implications for food security both locally and nationally.
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Election results for Moreland Council 2020 and candidate priorities 2021-24
The election results for City of Moreland Council have been announced. Some old Councillors re-elected, some new Councillors.
The new Council will be made up of: 4 Greens, 3 Labor, 4 Independents. Five of the eleven Councillors are women maintaining a good gender split. But the results in North West Ward have been brought into doubt due to what appears to be intentional postal vote tampering. (See news reports at The ABC and The Age). The VEC announced on Nov 3 referral of the matter to Victoria Police and the Local Government Inspectorate, and the results to be referred to VCAT to determine further action.
With visits to our website starting to rise in mid September, October provided our highest site visits on record since our website was established in 2009, and nearly double the number of visits compared to the 2016 Council election campaign. Moreland residents were eager to find out where candidates stood on climate and sustainability, especially during this time when we are all under stress due to the pandemic.
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Cities Power Partnership Climate Awards 2020
Climate Awards 2020
No, Moreland Council didn’t win, indeed wasn’t even listed as a finalist, in the Climate Council Cities Power Partnership Climate Awards 2020.
These awards were presented by the ABC Fight for Planet A presenter Craig Reucassel in a webinar on Thursday night, 29 October 2020. They showcased the depth and breadth of Councils across Australia taking climate action in many different ways, through many different projects, even during this time of pandemic. Taking action for the Climate emergency.
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Climate Emergency candidates for MorelandVotes 2020
Climate Emergency placard
This is a list of candidates who have acknowledged with a photo that we are in a climate Emergency.
Moreland Council formerly acknowledged and declared a climate emergency in September 2018 and since then have been incorporating a climate emergency framework into Council policies.
Candidates may download the Climate Emergency declaration, print it out, sign and take an image to send to us to include on this page. We’ll even accept home drawn signs acknowleding the climate emergency. We really aren’t fussed about the neatness of the sign its the action and commitment that is important.
Supporting September 25 Global climate strike while in pandemic lockdown
Climate strike protest in Moreland during Pandemic lockdown
How to support the Global climate strike on Friday September 25 here in Moreland?
We are still in stage 4 pandemic lockdown in Melbourne, only able to leave home for 4 valid reasons, including exercise within a 5 kilometre radius of our home.
School Strike 4 Climate highlighted that 600+ Climate events taking place around Australia on September 25 in the biggest-ever national action against gas.
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North-east Ward – Moreland Council 2020 election candidate responses on climate
MorelandVotes NE Ward Zoom Forum
- North East Ward Candidate List
- North East Ward Climate and Sustainability Election Forum
- Responses to Climate and Sustainability Candidate Survey
September 15, 2020 at 2:42 am morelandclimategroup Leave a comment
South Ward – Moreland Council 2020 election candidate responses on climate
Brunswick Residents Network MorelandVotes Candidates Forum
- South Ward Candidate List
- South Ward Climate and Sustainability Election Forum
- Responses to Climate and Sustainability Candidate Survey
September 15, 2020 at 2:33 am morelandclimategroup Leave a comment
