On Sunday 16 February, over 250 people from the south-eastern suburbs and metro area gathered at Monash University to send Premier Dan Andrews a message: 

When it comes to tackling the climate crisis, the global goal is to keep warming below 1.5°C. We need this to be Victoria's goal too. 

Community members are calling for Premier Dan Andrews to set science-based Emissions Reduction Targets for 2025 and '30.

Will you join them?...

In less than two months, the Andrews government will make its decision on the state’s first Emissions Reduction Targets for 2025 and ’30. And we’re not wasting a minute calling for ambition. 

The summer bushfires and the impact they’ve had on communities, responders, wildlife and the natural world remind us what’s at stake if we fail to tackle the climate crisis.

Here’s a quick update on our efforts over the last month...

It's crunch time for our campaign for the Andrews government to set science-based Emissions Reduction Targets. 

Will Victoria establish itself as the national leader on climate action?... Will it set science-based targets that are bold and ambitious?... Will our state be the thorn in the side of the Morrison government and the country's climate deniers? 

This part of the decision-making process will require swift and targeted actions each week. 

Will you sign up to our rapid response team? (Expect alerts via email/text message)

Victorian opposition leader Michael O'Brien has responded to surging community concern about the climate crisis by announcing a policy shift on the issue, accepting the need for state emissions reductions.

Friends of the Earth says the shift is a positive first step.

Mr O'Brien told The Age newspaper that state Emissions Reduction Targets were necessary in the absence of a "consistent national policy."

The Victorian Liberal leader also called on the Morrison government to set national targets for cutting emissions beyond 2030.

Do you want Victoria to be the national leader on climate action?...

Do you think climate policy should be based on science not political expediency?...

Do you want to show the Morrison government what real climate action looks like?...

There’s just ten weeks to influence the Andrews government's decision on state Emissions Reduction Targets for 2025 and ‘30.

It’s a decision that will set the pace of climate action in Victoria for the next decade and have major implications for energy policy, transport planning, forest protection, and more.

The window of opportunity to influence the decision closing fast so we have to make every day count.

With climate impacts occurring much faster than scientists predicted, the key litmus test for the government is whether the targets help keep global warming below 1.5°C. 

Here's what we have in store to demonstrate to strong community support for climate leadership and counter the fossil fuel lobbyists who will be working behind the scenes for loopholes and low ambition.

We’re calling on all community climate champions like you join us on the campaign trail over the next ten weeks so that our call for science-based targets is one that cannot be ignored...

The Federal Coalition is currently enjoying its third term in government. And yet, like Tony Abbott and Malcolm Turnbull before him, Prime Minister Scott Morrison is seriously failing Australia on climate solutions.

The Federal Coalition has been under a steadily rising pressure from climate change advocacy groups since its ascension in 2013.

To date, the Federal Coalition still has not provided a policy agenda to mitigate catastrophic climate change by reducing emissions. Data released earlier this year reveals that national emissions are increasing rather than decreasing.

It is not simply a matter of ignorance or inaction on the part of the Federal Coalition but wilful environmental vandalism.

Many commentators have linked the Coalition's destructive climate policies to the climate effects that are increasingly experienced in Australia, for example coastal erosion and severe weather events like the recent bushfires, as well as abroad such as rising sea levels affecting the Pacific Islands.

Act on Climate has previously showcased some of the Coalition's climate failure highlights between 2013-18.

As we near the end of 2019, let's take a look at some of the 'highlights' of their climate vandalism and neglect over the last two years...

Last month, the Victorian Labor Party met for its annual conference on November 16 and 17. During the conference, Victorian Labor passed motions backing climate science and offshore wind.

The Labor Environment Action Network (LEAN), a group of party members and supporters, called on the "next Albanese government" to '"rely on the best scientific advice when setting targets for emissions reduction and renewable energy generation" and stimulate new, sustainable, well-paying, unionised jobs through climate action & enviro protections’ (@LEAN_Victoria).

The backing of the Victorian Labor rank and file for climate and energy policy to be based on the "best scientific advice" sends a strong signal to the Andrews government in its upcoming decision on Emissions Reduction Targets. 

It has been an epic year. We've been supporting communities on the frontline of climate impacts; putting climate blockers such on the backfoot; boosting the climate movement in all its forms; and meeting with as many Victorian Labor politicians as possible...

Why the latter? 

Because Premier Dan Andrews and the Labor government will soon set Emissions Reduction Targets for 2025 and '30. 

It's the first time a state government will set short- and medium-term targets across the whole economy. And, given PM Scott Morrison's refusal to tackle the climate crisis, it's an opportunity that we can't miss. 

With climate impacts occurring much faster that predicted, the litmus test for the Andrews government is whether the Emissions Reduction Targets help keep global warming below 1.5°C.

Science-based targets will continue Victoria's renewable energy rollout and put the state on the map for the jobs-rich offshore wind industry. It will require greater investment in public transport and greater protection for forests and the natural world.  

While we've urged well over a dozen MPs to lead the drive for less than 1.5°C, we need your help to reach the rest of them. 

Friends of the Earth's Act on Climate collective has a simple mission: To make Victoria the national leader on climate action. 

THE PROBLEM: THE FEDERAL GOVT'S CLIMATE FAILURE 

We are facing a climate crisis. The polar ice caps are melting, the Great Barrier Reef is bleaching, and Australia is burning. Yet despite all the evidence, Prime Minister Scott Morrison and his government refuse to act. National emissions have risen five years in a row and Australia will fail to deliver the emissions cuts it pledged under the Paris climate agreement.

The Morrison government's failure leaves communities exposed to intensifying heatwaves, droughts, bushfires, and rising seas.

THE SOLUTION: VICTORIAN CLIMATE LEADERSHIP

Communities across Victoria are showing incredible leadership. People from all walks of life—school students, unionists, firefighters, and activists—are calling for urgent political action. There's a growing chorus calling for governments to rein in emissions, secure a just transition, and protect communities on the frontline of climate impacts.

Communities are taking action. It's time for Premier Dan Andrews and the Victorian Labor government to join them.

WHAT'S NEEDED: LEADING THE DRIVE FOR LESS THAN 1.5°C 

The Andrews government will soon set Emissions Reduction Targets for the years 2025 and '30. It's the first time a state government will set short- and medium-term targets across the whole economy. With climate impacts occurring much faster than scientists predicted, the litmus test is whether the targets help keep global warming below 1.5°C.

Science-based Emissions Reduction Targets will continue Victoria's rollout of renewables and put the state on the map for the jobs-rich offshore wind energy industry. It would require greater investment in public transport and greater protection of native forests and the natural world.

The Andrews government can create jobs while cutting emissions by delivering Victoria's first Climate Budget. We’ve seen tens of billions invested in infrastructure. Now it's time for climate action to receive the investment it deserves.

TAKE ACTION:

• Call on Premier Dan Andrews to set science-based Emissions Reduction Targets. 
• Sign the Climate Budget pledge to campaign for the next big-ticket item.
• Support our grassroots campaign by making a donation.
• Get involved by attending an Act on Climate collective meeting, Friends of the Earth, 312 Smith St, Collingwood, 6pm every Monday night.