Climate change
We are facing a climate emergency. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has said that we need to turn around increasing rates of greenhouse emissions in the next 12 years to keep global temperature increases below 1.5 degrees Celsius and to give us any chance of a safe climate.
In Canberra we have taken strong action on climate change, moving from coal-fired power to electricity generated by solar and wind. By 2020, Canberra’s electricity will be 100% renewable.
There is still work to do on transport and gas emissions to deliver a carbon-neutral city. And we need to ensure that our city is resilient in the face of the challenges that our changing climate will bring.
Gas-free ACT
Gas is a polluting fossil fuel that contributes to climate change. The ACT is now powered by 100% renewable, clean electricity so we no longer need to heat our homes and water or cook with fossil gas.
Get the full information about our campaign to transition Canberra off gas.
Our climate action news
Volunteer for gas community outreach
Volunteer for gas community outreach
4:30–6pm Tue 20 Apr
Conservation Council office
Call for a renewables-led recovery
Australia needs support to recover from COVID economic impacts, but not by expanding the polluting gas industry. Send an email to federal Energy Minister Angus Taylor calling for a renewables-led recovery.
Workshop: Make the Switch to an all-electric home
6pm Thursday 4th February 2021
In-person workshop
Explore why and how your household can make the switch from gas to electric appliances, with Kirsten Duncan, James De Salis and a representative from the ACT Government’s ActSmart Program.
Environment Exchange: Make the Switch to an all-electric home
5pm Tuesday 1st December
Online event over Zoom
Explore why and how your household can make the switch from gas to electric appliances, with Jenny Edwards, Ben Murphy and a representative from the ACT Government’s ActSmart Program.
Election result a win for the environment and climate change
Saturday’s ACT Election outcome reflects that Canberrans right across the city value our natural environment and take seriously the challenge of climate change, signalling that these issues are important throughout our community, “ said Helen Oakey, Executive Director of the Conservation Council ACT Region.
Let’s have a calm, clear plan to get off gas
Many Canberrans will be familiar with the ACT Government’s target of zero emissions by 2045, a policy that the ALP, Liberals and Greens all signed up to. All three parties also support keeping the ACT at 100% renewable electricity, now that we have achieved this target by leveraging our electricity purchasing power. But despite this clear agenda to decarbonise in the ACT, new homes and developments are still being connected to the gas network.
Why local climate action is so important
Based on the latest IPCC report in 2018, we have less than 10 years to plateau and begin to turn emissions downwards. From this advice, we can conclude that the ACT’s 2045 net zero emissions target is no longer aligned with climate science.
Take action on climate change
The impacts of a changing climate are well upon us, forcing societies and natural ecosystems to transform the way they function. At the current rate of 10 billion tonnes of global emissions each year, we will exceed the remaining carbon budget by 2030.The science...
Election Forum: Climate Change and Urban Sustainability
Did you miss it? Catch up online!