This year’s World Environment Day has a special emphasis

05 June 2020

Mayor of Tweed calls for environmental focus to COVID-19 recovery

On World Environment Day today (5 June) the Mayor of Tweed joined calls for all levels of government to consider the environment in all COVID-19 recovery plans.

“As we celebrate World Environment Day today and this year’s theme ‘Time for Nature’, a most inspiring movement is rising up through the devastation of COVID-19 to bring hope for a fast-tracked, healthy and green future,” Councillor Katie Milne said.

“More than 350 organisations representing over 40 million health professionals have signed an open letter to the G20 leaders calling for a post-COVID economic stimulus to be healthy and green.

“Their letter highlights the seven million people that died prematurely last year due to air pollution, and the interconnectedness and imperative for investment in a healthy green future.

“In Australia, a heartwarming alliance of the Business Council of Australia, the Property Council, the Australian Energy Council, the Australian Industry Group, the ACTU, the Australian Council of Social Service, the Brotherhood of St Laurence, the Australian Conservation Foundation and others have also joined together to call on our Government for a sustainable, clean energy, post-COVID economic stimulus.

“The climate change emergency has not gone away and we need to do everything we can to take this opportunity to ensure any recovery measures – such as stimulus packages – are developed with the environment at their core, so that we build our resilience to avert further economic shocks from extreme weather events,” she said.

For more information on what you can do on World Environment Day in the Tweed, visit https://www.tweed.nsw.gov.au/Newsroom/2815 and http://calderaenvironmentcentre.org/