Conservation Council of the ACT Submission on Developing a new Climate Change Strategy for the ACT Discussion Paper

The Conservation Council of the ACT Region has today provided feedback to the ACT Government on their discussion paper towards developing a new Climate Change Strategy for the ACT. Click here to read our full submission.

The Council is disappointed that the Discussion Paper fails to present any new or concrete actions for rapidly achieving net zero emissions in the ACT that could be genuinely discussed and tested. We’re also concerned that the Discussion Paper attempts to shift responsibility for climate action onto individuals, with a significant focus of discussion being the need for individuals to step up to achieve our emissions reduction goals. This seems to be a way for the Government to defer responsibility onto the community. A new Climate Change Strategy should outline a clear plan for the ACT Government to adopt a leadership role in advancing the net zero transition and building the social licence required for a just and equitable transition within our community.

Our submission advocates for the development of a new Climate Strategy that includes concrete commitments to:

• Bring forward the commitment to achieve net zero emissions by five years to 2040 at the latest, in line with the recommendation of the 2024 Independent Review of ACT Government Action on Climate Change;

• Speed up the phase out of fossil fuel infrastructure and significantly increase investment in public and active transport; and

• Adapt to the impacts of climate change by improving the design of our urban areas, increasing our urban forest, and ensuring we are prepared for extreme weather events.

It also includes key recommendations in relation to the areas of equity, transport, energy, the natural environment, built environment and government and other emissions. 

We’re also using our submission to call on the Government to ensure that a new Climate Change Strategy is supported by a significant uplift in funding for emissions reduction, mitigation and adaptation measures, including for community sector organisations operating critical programs in this space.

You can read our full submission here.