The Conservation Council joined with our member groups Australian Youth Climate Council (AYCC), Beyond Zero Emissions (BZE) , Canberra Environment Centre, Climate Action Canberra, Frank Fenner Foundation, SEE-Change and 350Canberra; as well as with Australian Religious Response to Climate Change to make a submission to Towards Zero Net Emissions in the ACT – our second submission into the post-2020 pathway for us to get to zero net emissions – in response to ACT Government documents including ACT Climate Strategy to a Zero Net Emissions Territory.
We are calling on the ACT Government to develop a plan to get the ACT off gas, to facilitate better Active transport, get organic waste out of our landfill, and refocus attention on energy efficiency for our buildings.
The ACT Government has shown great leadership on reducing emissions in the past decade through the 100% renewable electricity target, but there are signifiant challenges cutting emissions beyond 2020.
The imperative to act at a local level remains strong – with ever more evidence of global human impact on the atmosphere, countries, cities and communities across the planet are taking action. As well as reducing our own impact on globe emissions, the ACT’s action on climate presents great opportunities to build capacity for action elsewhere in Australia and overseas.