Melbourne-based Breakthrough has released an excellent eight-page guide – ‘Understanding climate emergency and local government’ – which explains the scientific evidence of the emergency, the crucial initiating role of local government, and what an ’emergency response’ is.
The purpose of climate emergency declaration campaigning is to accelerate sustained and meaningful action by all levels of government, and for people globally to engage with the challenge of avoiding catastrophic climate change and restoring a safe climate.
The use of the term “emergency” is a way of signalling the need to go beyond reform-as-usual.
The strategy is to start with local governments because it is easier to find innovative local governments to be early movers than it is to get state and national governments to take on the climate emergency response approach. Local councils and communities have an indispensable role in helping to build a national and global response.
→ More guides and papers from Breakthrough can be found on www.breakthroughonline.org.au/guides
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“Tackling the climate emergency: tools for cities”
Climate Action Co-benefits Toolkit
In the United Kingdom, Ashden have launched a Climate Action Co-benefits Toolkit to help local and combined authorities to radically cut carbon emissions while delivering wider benefits.
Ashden launched this at an event together with the Grantham Institute who have published a briefing paper on the co-benefits of climate action.
→ Download the briefing paper: ‘Co-benefits of climate change mitigation in the UK: What issues are the UK public concerned about and how can action on climate change help to address them?’ (PDF)