The Mornington Peninsula Shire adopted the Climate Emergency Plan – Ensuring Our Future: Our Climate Emergency Response on Tuesday 25 August 2020.
The Climate Emergency Plan has been developed with urgency and was adopted one year from declaration of a climate emergency on 13 August 2019.
The Plan communicates messages of hope for our future and provides clear priorities for how we will support and work with our community.
It guides the Peninsula towards zero carbon emissions by 2040, through actions described in seven summits and 21 action steps. This can only be achieved by the community and the Shire working together.
The Plan provides a 10-year map including targets around:
- Leadership and governance
- Climate advocacy
- Zero carbon energy
- A resilient and adaptive community
- Sustainable transport and travel
- Sustainable land use and environmental restoration
- Circular economy and zero waste
Mornington Peninsula were the 34th Council in Australia to declare a climate emergency. A year later, there are now 96 Australian Councils that have also declared a climate emergency. This Plan will be amongst the first seven Climate Emergency Plans developed and adopted by an Australian local government.
Our work is now focused on achieving the targets of this Plan and have accelerated many projects based on the climate emergency declaration, this includes:
- Incorporating environmentally sustainable design in the planning scheme
- Three significant recycled water projects to support agricultural growth and drought proofing of the Peninsula
- The Shire’s economic stimulus projects are being aligned to climate emergency objectives
