Posts tagged ‘Victoria’
Petition: Cooling standards needed for Victorian Renters
Sweltering Cities have launched a petition to the Victorian Government to incorporate minimum cooling standards in rental accommodation.
As temperatures rise we are experiencing more extreme heat days and heatwaves.
Add to this the crisis in housing with more and more people renting.
Many rental properties are simply not safe to live during extreme heat. Sweltering Cities conductyed a survey which revealed Nearly half of renters surveyed reported they left their home to find a cooler location during heatwaves, compared to just 14.5% of homeowners.
(more…)Submission: Setting Victoria’s 2035 climate target
What should Victoria’s 2035 emissions reduction target be? We strongly believe it should be science based taking into account our carbon budget with global equity considerations. The Victorian Government called for submissions by June 5, 2022. Our submissions concentrated on Transport, as we see that is a major policy blind spot with regard to public transport, active transport and aviation.
- Victoria’s target for 2020 was to cut emissions by 15-20% below 2005 levels. That target was achieved two years early.
- Victoria’s target for 2025 is to cut emissions by 28-33% below 2005 levels.
- Victoria’s target for 2030 is to cut emissions by 45-50% below 2005 levels.
Read our submission for 2025 and 2030 targets in which we argued for at minimum the emissions cuts identified by the Combet review matching the science: of at least 43% by 2025 and 67% by 2030 to have any chance of limiting warming to 1. 5°C. (Download PDF version)
The next short-term target, for 2035, must be set by 31 March 2023. An independent panel of experts will advise on a target for 2035, the best action to reach that target and what the pathways to net zero emissions by 2050 could look like. The Panel will prepare a report with their advice to government by 1 March 2023.
(more…)In the depth of winter an urban heat campaign on Fake Grass launches for Victoria
With an overcast sky and temperatures barely in the double digits a small crowd gathered beside the synthetic grass pitch at Clifton Park in Brunswick. This was the launch of the Campaign to Turf out Fake Grass in Victoria.
Climate NGO Sweltering Cities, which focusses on urban heat and solutions to mitigating and adapting to increasing urban heat, had initiated this campaign as a result of several meetings with residents in suburban Melbourne and a large heat survey that was conducted over the summer.
Sign the petition to Turf out Fake Grass addressed to Victorian Minister for Suburban Development Shaun Leane.
(more…)New Victorian interim climate targets welcome but underwhelming
Today the Victorian Government announced the interim emissions reduction climate targets for 2025 and 2030. This announcement has been delayed for over a year due to the pandemic.
The targets announced are to reduce emissions by 28-33 per cent by 2025 and 45-50 per cent by 2030.
Awesome you say? 50 percent reduction by 2030, similar to what President Biden announced at the Biden Climate Summit on April 22. Not so fast.
The Independent Expert Panel recommended Victoria set greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets of:
- 32-39% below 2005 levels in 2025 and
- 45-60% below 2005 levels in 2030.
Even this was not consistent with keeping global warming to 1.5 degrees, and the numerous risks enumerated in the IPCC Special Report on Global warming of 1.5C1.
The Combet Review identified emission cuts of at least 43% by 2025 and 67% by 2030 to have any chance of limiting warming to 1. 5°C, yet justified lower targets, even though there is scientific research3 that indicates there are several dangerous tipping points that should require substantial risk minimisation in setting ambitious targets. Read our submission from July 2019.
(more…)Brunswick MP Tim Read raises slow state government climate action in Grievance Debate
Tim Read MP
Brunswick MP Tim Read highlighted the Victorian government’s slow response on climate during the Grievance Debate on 3 February 2021. This includes being a year overdue in announcing Victoria’s interim emissions reduction targets for 2025 and 2030 as required under the Climate Change Act.
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Inquiry on achieving 100 percent renewables passed by Victorian State Parliament
The Victorian Parliament on Wednesday supported a Greens motion in the Legislative Council, looking at pathways for Victoria to be powered by 100 per cent clean energy, including the economic and employment benefits of such an energy transition.
Victoria currently has a 50 per cent renewables target by 2030. Coal currently provides 70 per cent of the state’s electricity.
The Inquiry won’t start until later in 2020 or early 2021, highlighted Samantha Ratnam in breaking the news in a Facebook post.
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Premier Dan Andrews, time to declare an ecological and climate emergency
A Petition has been launched for Premier Daniel Andrews to declare an Ecological and Climate Emergency for Victoria.
Please sign and share the petition among your networks. The petition URL: https://www.change.org/VictoriaClimateEmergency
Submission: Setting Victoria’s climate targets for 2025 and 2030
Submission on Victorian Climate Targets
Executive Summary
We appreciate the opportunity to comment on the recommended emissions targets for Victoria as contained in the Interim Emissions Reduction Targets for Victoria (2021-2030) report prepared by the Independent Expert Panel.
We argue that the science strongly indicates we have a climate crisis and that Victoria (and Australia) needs to declare a climate emergency, to focus resources on ambitious emissions reduction and climate adaptation.
While we appreciate the work of the expert panel, we think the recommended targets are still too low, even by their own assessment of the targets required to meet the 1.5C temperature target as contained in the Paris Agreement.
Reducing emissions needs to address equity issues, so we also call for transition programs that address equity, both on the local level and as part of addressing the problem globally. As a matter of global equity and justice Australia as a developed country should decarbonise faster than the many developing countries that need to address poverty and social issues and already have low carbon footprints.
We particularly highlight that the Expert panel failed to address the growth in aviation emissions as part of transport emissions, and the expansion of Melbourne’s airports which induces growth in these emissions. This is a difficult niche area to decarbonise, but the first step should be to stop airport expansion which will cap the growth in aviation and aviation emissions.
This submission (PDF) was a collaborative work by members of Climate Action Moreland and follows the suggested question survey for consultation.
John Englart
Convenor, Climate Action Moreland
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Celebrate Victoria’s climate change act, but we still need to do so much more
The Victorian climate Act has passed state parliament. (See this Storify)
Victoria is back on track taking climate action with the passage of the upgraded Victorian Climate Change Act through parliament with support of the Greens and cross bench MLCs Fiona Pattern (Sex Party) and Western region independant James Purcell. The Liberal and National Parties opposed the Act and have vowed to abolish any Victorian renewable energy target. (See storifys on two of the LNP blockers: Bernie Finn and David Davis)
Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change Lily D’Ambrosio said, “Victorians accept the science and know that climate change is not only real, but that government, industry and the wider community must work together to fight it.” Ms D’Ambrosio has been doing an incredible amount of positive work on energy and climate change for Victoria as the Minister.
Victoria becomes the first Australian state to legislate for net zero emissions by 2050. The action was taken note of by the UNFCCC.
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Heatwaves and Victoria’s Heat Health Alert warning system
As January maximum temperatures spike into the high 30s and low 40s (degrees Celsius) and minimum overnight temperatures approach 30 degrees, we have had our first Heat Health alert issued by the Victorian Department of Health for 2015.
On Friday 2 January 2015 heatwave conditions enveloped much of southeast Australia with temperatures reaching 43.3C in Adelaide and 38.7C in Melbourne.
Overnight temperatures on Friday night (2 January) hovered about 30 degrees in Melbourne and 24.5C in Adelaide. These minimum temperatures are more than enough to disrupt sleep adding to heat stress and associated heat-related health emergencies. (see Grunstein, Too Hot to Sleep? Here’s why, The Conversation, 8 January 2013).
Although Melbourne was predicted to exceed 40C on Saturday (3 January) the temperature only reached 37.7C at 3.30pm. That afternoon a storm front brought some rain and relief, a cool change plunging the mercury just before 6pm.
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Climate Action Merribek: people in Brunswick, Coburg, Fawkner and Glenroy wanting action on climate change 