A climate emergency - not according to this local council!

All over the world, governments and local councils have recently been declaring climate emergencies. It's hard to see a reason not to - there clearly is a climate emergency, and while a declaration might be largely symbolic for a local council, it does assist them prioritising activities and pressuring state and federal government. In Australia the federal Government has been not just missing in action, but actively fighting on the wrong side of this battle. Just a bunch of coal salesmen really.


About 100 local councils around Australia have declared emergencies to date, including several within Greater Sydney. The last few weeks have seen a massive (and massively successful) campaign to gather support within northern suburban Hornsby Shire. It's been largely powered by energetic Greens councillor Emma Heyde, with the help of several local climate action groups. Over 6000 signatures of support were collected, mainly at local railway stations. The response was overwhelmingly positive. Demographic statistics and several opinion surveys would indicate that a big majority of residents of 'The Bushland Shire' favour drastic action on climate change.



There's a problem though. The local council is Liberal-dominated. And the mayor just happens to be a former Howard Government minister and current state Liberal Party president.

So it was anyone's guess  how the climate emergency motion would turn out. About 100 concerned local citizens turned up at the council chambers, possibly a record. About 20 spoke eloquently and knowledgeably in support of the motion. There were scientists, doctors, a statistician or two. The mayor was rattled. He  treated us as though we were all unruly undergraduates bussed in from Newtown. (Maybe that's how he has to chair state Liberal Party meetings!)



It was time for the councillors to vote. It all got lost in a mischievous tangle of amendments and amendments to amendments. The emergency declaration was lost, and what was passed was a long eulogy to the fabulous things they do anyway for the environment.

In hindsight it was obvious this would happen. There was no way this Liberal mayor was going to allow something that would embarrass his state and federal government colleagues, and highlight just how deficient they've been on climate.

But the climate activists have vowed to return. To every council meeting. They're monthly, and there are only 12 or so until the next council elections...........

Some photos courtesy Save Beecroft & Cheltenham Alliance, Hornsby Greens, Hornsby Shire Climate Action Group, Extiction Rebellion Northern Sydney, and commons.wikimedia

Climate crisis: it's real and it's now an existential threat

Ian Dunlop isn't everyone's idea of a militant grass roots environmental activist. And that's why he's so impressive. He's an engineer by training. He worked at senior levels for Royal Dutch Shell for over 30 years, in oil and gas exploration. He was Chair of the Australian Coal Association, and the CEO of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. He's a member of several other professional and business associations, and he's currently a member of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Climate Extremes (UNSW), and a member of the Club of Rome.

Even with all those credentials, he finds it hard to get anything through to many of our politicians, who are still working very hard to avoid knowing much about the climate crisis we're now in.

"Climate change is an immediate risk requiring emergency action" he says.

I was privileged to sit through his presentation in Hornsby today. The gathering was convened by Greens local councillor Emma Heyde, who is leading the push to have Hornsby Council declare a climate emergency. There's a worldwide push going on for local council leadership in this regard, given that national and state governments (especially in Australia) have been so sadly lacking.

He tells it like it is. Things are extremely grim. We've wasted a decade and a half doing very little, and we're now at the point where we can afford to release approximately zero more carbon emissions ever, if we're to retain a liveable planet and a functioning civilisation.

More here:  Guardian article
and here: SMH article