Tweed declares a climate emergency
20 September 2019
Council offers support for today’s student climate strike
Tweed Shire Council has declared a climate emergency and provided support for today’s School Strike for Climate.
Mayor of Tweed, Councillor Katie Milne was successful in her Notice of Motion at last night’s Council meeting to call for emergency action by all levels of government, including by local councils.
Tweed Youth Council member Jazmine Cooke - who is also a Member of the NSW Parliamentary Youth Council - addressed Councillors at the Public Forum session before the meeting, urging them to take all the necessary action required to limit global warming.
The Mayor’s motion acknowledged that our young people have the most at stake as they are the ones that will face the worst impacts of climate change if this is not addressed rapidly and effectively.
Council’s resolution encouraged adults to join the students at today’s global School Strike for Climate at 11am in Ambrose Brown Park in Pottsville.
In the resolution, Council also noted:
• that 45 other Australian Local Councils have declared a climate emergency, along with 987 government bodies around the world.
• Tweed’s 2017 flood was the largest on record and the two recent major fires that have burnt hundreds of hectares of Tweed’s bushland.
• last year's United Nations’ IPCC report which found that global emissions of carbon dioxide must peak by 2020 and reduce by 45 per cent by 2030 to keep the planet below a 1.5°C increase.
• that even a 1.5°C increase will lead to significant climate disruptions including the Great Barrier Reef predicted to lose 90 per cent of its coral and the outlook for the reef now classified as very poor.
A report will now be developed outlining the actions Council is currently undertaking to address climate change and further steps that can be taken to reduce emissions to levels at least consistent with IPCC targets. The report will be provided to the Tweed Shire Youth Council for their input.
In addition, information on the implications for sustainability will now be included in all reports to Council.
The Mayor will write to the NSW and federal governments and local Members of Parliament requesting them to declare a climate emergency and prioritise actions to address climate change.
To view the full resolution, go to www.tweed.nsw.gov.au/CouncilMeetings. The Minutes of the 19 September 2019 meeting will be available this afternoon.