Manningham Council has adopted its Climate Emergency Action Pla. This follows eight months of community consultation.

As part of the plan, the Council says it will work with residents, businesses, and visitors to achieve net zero emissions for the organisation’s operations by 2028 and for the community by 2035.

Community consultation on the Draft Plan occurred between April and November through Your Say Manningham, a Gender Impact Assessment, surveys and in person pop-up stalls across the city, such as the Plastic Free July events and FOGO information stalls.

Manningham Council says it received valuable submissions and contributions, including from 316 survey participants.

This feedback strengthened and improved the plan so it reflects the strong themes captured throughout the engagement, such as prioritising:

• improved public transport and switching to electric vehicles
• more energy efficient LED streetlights
• more rooftop solar and household/building energy saving measures
• diverting food and garden organics (FOGO) waste away from landfill
• incentives to recycle and repurpose materials
• bolstering biodiversity
• more community education and awareness raising.

The plan to address climate change was developed following the Council’s declaration of a climate emergency in 2020.

The declaration acknowledged: ‘we are in a state of serious climate and environmental change and this climate emergency requires urgent action by all levels of government, including local government.’

Manningham Mayor, Cr Deirdre Diamante (pictured), said the Climate Emergency Action Plan would be published and distributed widely in early 2023.

“Thank you to everyone who contributed to this important plan. It really will take a community effort to respond to the climate emergency locally and it is critical we are prepared to tackle climate risks including extreme weather, heatwaves, bushfires, storms, and flooding.

“We will continue to engage on how we put the plan into action so the community feels supported and empowered to reach net zero emissions by 2035.”