Moreland Council questions Melbourne Airport expansion in a climate emergency
On Wednesday night (11 May, 2022) Moreland Council passed a motion authorising a submission to the 2022 Draft Preliminary Melbourne Airport Master Plan and Third Runway Major Development Plan. An amendment changed a rather insipid submission to one that correlated with Moreland’s forward thinking and past resolutions on the climate emergency and advocacy for sustainable transport.
Melbourne Airport are currently collating submissions by 16 May 2022. A report will then be prepared for the Federal Transport Minister to consider the Draft Airport Masterplan and the Major Development Plan and all the feedback. There is an active campaign against expansion of Melbourne Airport.
Some candidates for Wills electorate for the Federal election have answered a question on expansion of Melbourne airport.
(more…)Candidates answer more climate questions in #willsvotes
The people of Wills submitted so many questions and we could only get to a fraction of them during the candidates forum. We then selected a further six questions that had been submitted and sent them to all of the candidates that attended the forum.
Only Leah Horsfall and Sarah Jefford have responded so far – we hope to hear from the other candidates who attended the forum soon (Peter Khalil, Sue Bolton, and Emma Black). You might like to contact them and ask them to respond.
(more…)May 10, 2022 at 5:00 pm morelandclimategroup Leave a comment
Regenerating Australia at Merlynston: visioning a net zero future
On a Friday afternoon and evening threatening rain 80 people came together at Merlynston Progress Hall in North Coburg to watch the film Regenerating Australia by documentary film maker Damon Gameau (FB).
It was a capacity crowd for this community hall. We advertised to Come early for dinner from 5pm-6pm as Tuka Tuka KothuRoti Man was attending to supply some delicious food. The food met our expectations. Our choir entertainment had to sadly cancel due to isolation requirements.
(more…)Climate Risk mapping for Moreland: climate impacts and insurability
The Climate Council has just put out a new report: Uninsurable Nation: Australia’s most Climate Vulnerable Places. Along with this report they have produced a climate risk map for Australia in which they list the hazards: riverine flooding, bushfire, surface water flooding, coastal inundation, and extreme wind. They also project properties at high and medium risk for 2030, 2050 and 2100.
The Climate Risk map allows you to drill down to the suburb level, or Local Government Area or Federal Electorate. Moreland is not one of the top municipalities for climate risk, but the mapping is surprising for what it reveals.
This report highlights climate impacts are already ocurring and having an economic impact on insurance and insurability. Unless we take action, costs will continue to escalate. Climate Action Moreland has recently held a climate forum with Candidates for Wills, and also compared Party climate policies for Wills and the Victorian Senate for consistency with the Paris Agreement 1.5C target. We urge you to consider voting in the Federal election for candidates with strong climate policies and use your preferences wisely.
(more…)Comparing Party policies on climate against Consistency with Paris Agreement 1.5C Goal in #Willsvotes and Victorian Senate
Climate Action Moreland has done an assessment of the published climate, environment and energy policies of the Political parties and candidates standing in the Wills electorate for 2022 and whether they are consistent with the science of climate change and the speed of transition required, and meeting the targets of the Paris Agreement.
We acknowledge climate policy is only one lens to view these Political Parties, but given it is a climate emergency we think it is a pretty important lens. About three quarters of Wills voters think climate action is a high priority. We also organised with Coburg Uniting Church and Neighbours United for Climate Action a Meet the candidates forum on 26 April, with a live recording. Climate risk is already affecting properties and insurance premiums around Australia, including in Moreland.
Our analysis on ranking the parties has been supported by the assessment of Climate Analytics, a leading international climate science and policy analysis NGO..
General Summary ranking of Party Policies against Paris Agreement 1.5C Goal for Wills
| Consistency with Paris Agreement 1.5C Goal | ……….Party………… |
|---|---|
| Ambitous. Consistent with Paris Agreement 1.5C Goal. Specific range of policies. 75% 2030 target, 100% by 2035. Greens will Phase out thermal coal export by 2030. AJP commit to Global Methane pledge, developed climate, agriculture and animals policy highlighting necessity for methane emissions reduction. | The Greens Animal Justice Party |
| Ambituous. May be consistent with PA goal but policies and targets tend to be general. AJP has a developed climate, agriculture and animals policy highlighting necessity for methane emissions reduction. | Victorian Socialists, Socialist Alliance |
| Some Ambition & some good well developed policies especially on Renewables, rewiring the grid, employment, EV adoption, but insufficient to meet PA goal. 43% 2030 target. Supports Gas expansion. Qualified support for new coal. Supports CCS. No commitment to sign Global methane Pledge. | Australian Labor Party |
| Limited targets and policies, but highly insufficient to meet PA goal. 26-28% 2030 target. Supports gas and coal expansion, CCS. Rejected signing Global Methane Pledge | Liberal Party |
| No Ambition, no action, likely to worsen climate crisis | United Australia Party Australian Federation Party |
| Denies and questions climate science. Step on the pedal for fossil fuels | Pauline Hanson One Nation |
Climate the hot issue in Wills and across Australia
Addressing climate change is a top priority for citizens in the Wills Electorate in Moreland as well as across Australia.
That is why Climate Action Moreland, Neighbours United for Climate Action and Coburg Uniting Church have organised a Meet the candidates forum with a focus on climate and sustainability on Tuesday 26 April at Coburg Uniting Church Hall.
Polling done in every electorate of Australia in March 2022 asked people living in Australia about the
cost of climate action and the results are optimistic. Over 15,000 people were surveyed, which allowed a statistical sample from every electorate. The results in Wills are above the national average.
Moderating the urban heat of car parks in Moreland
As a highly built up municipality Moreland tends feel the heat of Summer and extreme heat events exacerbated by the urban heat island effect. The extensive car parks and roads around our municipality contribute to this amplification of high temperature effects.
New research from University of Western Sydney throws new light on the urban heat island effect on microclimates and especially the role of asphalt car parks. Asphalt is particularly bad for building up heat inertia to warm the micro climate during both the day and night. But the researchers also outlined solutions.
How does this apply in Moreland? Well Moreland Council should be implementing heat mitigation solutions for all Council car parks, and also advocating for these solutions when Businesses provide parking, or the State Government expands parking, such as at Merlynston Station. Moreland Council is expanding parking at Hosken Reserve as part of the Hosken Reserve Masterplan, but have paid little attention to limiting urban heat from car parking. When putting in new car parking is the ideal time to implement urban heat solutions.
(more…)Global #ClimateStrike March 25 2022 Photo Gallery
Support our kids – Global #ClimateStrike
On Friday 25th March, school students all around Australia and the world are taking action to demand political action on the climate crisis. Please support our kids by coming along to the rally at 12 noon, Old Treasury Building, Spring St. Melbourne.
See the photo gallery below (Photos courtesy John Englart – High resolution photos available on Flickr).
(more…)March 24, 2022 at 9:51 pm morelandclimategroup Leave a comment
Moreland joins Australian Mayors call for more Disaster support to Local Councils by Federal Government
The South East Queensland Floods, northern NSW Floods and flooding in Sydney suburbs have been a wake up call similar to the Black Summer Bushfires in 2019/2020. The Lismore CBD was decimated by the record floods this year. Extensive Flooding in Lismore has ocurred in 3 of the last 5 years. 1 in 100 year floods
Moreland Mayor Mark Riley joined 30 other Mayors and Councillors from around Australia, including the Lord Mayors of Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Hobart, in signing the statement. Citizens can add their support by adding their name: Climate Council: add your name to stand with Local Leaders.
(more…)“Heavy rain, flooding, strong winds and storm surges are damaging communities, endangering residents, and costing millions of dollars in clean-up costs. In some regions schools and businesses have been forced to close, the lights have gone out, roads cut off, access to fresh water and food limited and thousands of homes destroyed. Many can no longer afford insurance and will be left with little.”
Statement of Mayors. Full statement and all the Mayor and Councilor signatories (PDF)
Sustainability and climate in 2022 Federal election in Wills electorate #willsvotes
Wills Meet the Candidate Forums:
7pm – 8.30pm Tuesday 26 April. Coburg Uniting Church Hall, 19 Victoria Street, Coburg.
Climate Action Moreland, Neighbours United for Climate Action, and the Coburg Uniting Church organised a climate-centred candidates’ forum. The Forum was livestreamed and recorded. Registrations for in-person attendance was via Humantix. Doors openned at 6.30pm and Soulistas Choir provided pre-forum entertainment. Election Day is confirmed as 21 May 2022. 9 candidates have nominated for Wills.
Climate Action Merribek: people in Brunswick, Coburg, Fawkner and Glenroy wanting action on climate change 