Mount Alexander Shire Council has formally received a community petition that played a role in the council’s decision to declare a climate emergency last Tuesday, becoming the 82nd Australian council to do so.
Members of the Mount Alexander Climate Emergency Team on Friday presented mayor Cr Christine Henderson with the petition bearing the names and signatures of 2300 people.
“We wanted to have the opportunity to hand over all the original petition papers that were originally signed just to archive them with the council,” the group’s Laura Noonan said.
“So all the community members that supported the campaign are acknowledged.”
The petition had called on the council to declare a climate emergency, to commit to a target of 100 percent renewable energy for council operations by 2025 and to commit to a target of net zero carbon emissions for the community by 2030.
“Out of the forum that they held it became very apparent that there’s many community members who are highly skilled in many different areas who have stepped forward and are very willing to work with council on this including the Mount Alexander Sustainability Group,” Ms Noonan said.
“They’ve got a huge group of incredibly skilled professionals who are willing to work with council.”
Members of Mount Alexander Climate Emergency Team and Central Victoria Climate Action attended Friday’s petition presentation and were among locals who lobbied the council to declare a climate emergency in an effort to see the global issue of climate change addressed as a matter of urgency.
“Although the council has now declared a climate emergency it’s important that we receive the petition in its correct format as a petition to council,” mayor Cr Christine Henderson said.
“The process now is that this petition will be noted in our February meeting agenda and it will be responded to at the March meeting.”
