Councillors need to show leadership

We call on Greater Shepparton City Council to declare a climate emergency.

Not just because other local governments across Australia and internationally have followed this course, but because we as a region based on agriculture and primary industry have much more at stake than urban-based governments if opportunities are missed or decisions are poorly considered.

This is not a radical move, as Greater Shepparton City Council is in many ways implementing accepted initiatives of a climate emergency plan; however, in our judgment, it lacks the public leadership of councillors.

Declaring a climate emergency is essential to focus the region’s attention on mitigating and adapting to climate change.

It targets two critical areas: first, to inf luence state, national and global actions to reduce carbon emissions as quickly as possible; and second, to ensure our region is focused on adapting to climate change.

Greater Shepparton City Council can by leadership inf luence state and federal governments to adopt the strategies and policies required.

Greater Shepparton City Council can show leadership to the community and industry to ensure that we focus on adapting to climate change in every consideration or decision made, whether that is personal, in business or on the land.

Councillors need to show leadership and focus our efforts and resources on adapting our region by being alert to change and taking up opportunities.

We cannot achieve this with division — division over the science, division about the politics and division at various levels of government.

Read the letter from John Pettigrew, Robert McLean, Terry Court published in The Shepparton News on October 11, 2019 - "Councillors need to show leadership".