Golden Plains Shire Council is proud to be part of both a local and global movement acknowledging the climate emergency we face. We recognize the urgent need to take action to reduce emissions and mitigate the impacts of climate change. Learn more about the steps we are taking to make a difference below:
Council acknowledges that the current levels of global warming and human-induced climate impacts require urgent action. All levels of government need to recognise this action. However, as the closest tier of government to the community, we are well-placed to deliver and support climate change mitigation actions.
Based on this, In July 2021, Golden Plains Shire Council declared a Climate Emergency, a resolution for immediate and urgent action to reverse global warming and adapt to changes that society cannot avoid.
As part of this resolution, Council committed to preparing a Climate Emergency Plan to put the declaration’s words into actions.
Council’s Climate Emergency Plan (CEP) was adopted in October 2022 and is guiding the work of Council to mitigate, adapt and respond to climate change in the Shire over the next years.
We are working in implementing the 48 key actions outlined in our Climate Emergency Plan across the five themes:
- Embedding climate action in Council.
- Resilient and adaptive communities.
- Caring for the land.
- Climate adaptive development.
- Sustainable transport and travel.
View the progress report here.
Golden Plains Shire Council is a proud member of the Barwon South West Climate Alliance, collaborating with local governments and organizations across South West Victoria on initiatives centred around climate change adaptation, mitigation, and resilience. Together, we share knowledge and advocate for a just, thriving, and climate-resilient region.
There are opportunities to improve the health and wellbeing of Victorians at scale. Strategies to reduce emissions, mitigate the future impact of climate change and support adaptation are important in preventing the harms that climate change can have on people’s health. Understanding the impact of climate change on the health of individuals and communities is vital to creating effective policy, planning and interventions to minimise risk (Department of Health, 2024).
All Councils are required to develop a Municipal Public Health and Wellbeing Plan (MPHWP) every 4 years. Section 17 of the Climate change act 2017 requires councils to have regard to climate change when preparing their MPHWP.
Golden Plains Shire identifies 5 key health priorities in the MPHWP, one of which includes:
Actions under this priority area aim to:
- Increase sustainable food production initiatives.
- Improve understanding of how to address the impacts of climate change on health.
Some of the ways that Council is working to achieve these outcomes include:
- Increasing community understanding of actions they can take to stay healthy in a changing climate.
- Support and encourage the community to prevent, prepare, respond and recover from health impacts associated with emergencies and natural disasters.
- Provide support mitigation and adaptation-focused activities that enable health co-benefits to be realised.
- Promote and support healthy and sustainable food systems.
References:
Department of Health. (2024). Victorian public health and wellbeing plan 2023-27. Retrieved from Victorian State Government Department of Health: https://www.health.vic.gov.au/victorian-public-health-and-wellbeing-plan-2023-27