The Victorian Parliament’s Environment & Planning Committee has announced an inquiry into community climate action. It will investigate what urban, regional, and rural communities are doing to tackle the climate crisis and how the state government can support them.

The inquiry comes as the Andrews government resumes its decision-making on Victoria’s first interim Emissions Reduction Targets and will set the scene for the forthcoming state Climate Strategy.

Friends of the Earth welcome the Environment & Planning Committee’s inquiry and say it will allow Members of Parliament to grasp the full scope of the community’s efforts.

“Communities across Victoria are leading when it comes to tackling the climate crisis,” said Act on Climate coordinator, Leigh Ewbank.

“Communities from Portland to Mallacoota and from Yackandandah to the Bass Coast are showing incredible commitment to cut emissions and cope with the impacts of a changing climate.”

“It’s time for Victorian Parliamentarians to catch up with the community and put their shoulder to the wheel.”

The countdown to climate action continues. The Andrews government has less than nine months to set an Emissions Reduction Target for 2025. 

The Federal Coalition has finally caught on to the process occurring in Victoria and they're starting to throw their weight around. Minister for Energy and Emissions Reductions, Angus Taylor, launched a media offensive in late June—branding Victoria’s targets 'crazy.'

Taylor's attack came with revelations EnergyAustralia might close the Yallourn coal power plant years ahead of schedule based on climate and energy policy.

Angus Taylor, the Federal Coalition, EnergyAustralia, and the Australian Industry Group are shaping up as the main Climate Blockers to ambitious climate action in Victoria. 

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

Time is short...

The Andrews government has kicked off decision making on Victoria's Emissions Reduction Target for 2025 and we have until 22 July to demonstrate strong community support for it to be bold and ambitious.

Will you send a submission to call for a science-based target that meets the 1.5°C challenge?

Australia's emissions are rising due to the Federal Coalition's failure to act on climate. And this failure leaves Victorian communities exposed to intensifying impacts such as heatwaves, droughts, bushfires, extreme weather, and rising sea levels.

Victoria has an opportunity to put the country back on track. So now's the time to take action!

The findings of the ‘Combet report’—the independent advice to the Andrews government on emissions cuts—have been tabled in Parliament. The report has kicked off the decision-making process about Victoria's first interim Emissions Reduction Targets.

Victoria has a legislated target of zero-net emissions by 2050. The government has until 31 March 2020 to set targets for the years 2025 and 2030.

While the Combet Report recommends ‘flexible’ targets of 32-39 percent below 2005 levels by 2025 and 45-60 percent below 2005 levels in 2030, the real test is whether the government will commit to targets that meet the 1.5°C challenge. 

We are 10 reasons why we should fight for science-based targets that are both bold and ambitious... 

The countdown to climate action continues.

The Victorian government has until March 31 next year to set the state's first interim Emissions Reduction Targets.

With the shock re-election of Scott Morrison our campaign to secure science-based targets in Victoria is more important than ever.

While a Federal Coalition government will seek to apply the handbrake to climate action, it's worth noting that we've been here before. And we know how to fight under these conditions.

Not long after Tony Abbott was elected in 2013, the Federal government mounted a sustained attack on renewable energy that saw investment drop by 90 percent and thousands of job losses.

In January 2014 we launched our push for a Victorian Renewable Energy Target (VRET) to make the state a safe haven for the sector. Despite the odds, we never gave up. We built a powerful coalition that included communities; unions; renewable energy companies; and environment groups, and we won!

In 2017, the Andrews government enshrined the Victorian Renewable Energy Target in law and ran the country’s largest-ever reverse auction for new solar and wind projects. The scheme will treble the state’s renewable energy capacity, create 10,000 jobs, and cut emissions in the electricity sector by 16 percent.  

We’ve made Victoria a safe haven for renewable energy. Now we must make it a safe haven for climate action.

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

The time has come for governments to put their money where their mouth is on climate action... 

The Andrews Labor government must set interim Emissions Reduction Targets by 31 March 2020, release a Climate Strategy the same year, and roll out adaptation plans from 2021.

A big funding boost will be needed to ensure Victoria's efforts to tackle the climate crisis get traction. It's why Friends of the Earth is building the case for the state's first #ClimateBudget.   

The budget process has evolved over decades to adapt to new challenges. The time has come to bring it into the 21st century to account for the climate crisis. A #ClimateBudget would:

1. Increase investment in initiatives that rein in emissions and help protect communities from climate impacts.

2. Ensure greater transparency of budget expenditure on mitigation, adaptation, and disaster response. 

3. Adopt carbon valuation to make wiser investment decisions and avoid wasting money on climate-wrecking projects.

4. Incorporate community leadership to ensure investment is relevant to local climate impacts.

There's no 'one-size-fits-all' solution to the climate crisis. Each city, town, and district faces its own challenges and each community has its own vision for how to respond. What unites these communities is the need for state government support. 

Sign up below to support our campaign for Victoria’s first #ClimateBudget! (We'll contact you about exciting actions coming up in 2019)

The Victorian Greens have written to Treasurer Tim Pallas to call on the upcoming state budget to deliver for climate and environment. 

After a confronting summer in which we have seen record-breaking heatwaves, damaging bushfires, continuing drought, and dramatic coastal erosion in Apollo Bay and Inverloch, the need for governments to ramp up investment in climate action has never been greater. 

The countdown to climate action has begun.

The Victorian government has until March 31 next year to set the state's first short- and mid- term Emissions Reduction Targets and we're not wasting any time.

Friends of the Earth's Act on Climate collective is fighting for science-based targets that will get us to zero emissions as soon as possible. 

With Australia's emissions increasing on the Federal Coalition's watch, we need the Victorian Labor government to show greater leadership on the climate crisis to help put the country back on track and avoid runaway climate change. 

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

On Wednesday 10 April, Victoria’s Minister for Agriculture, Regional Development, and Resources Jaclyn Symes gave her inaugural address to the Rural Press Club.

Friends of the Earth’s Act on Climate collective was there to see how climate change would feature in the minister’s address. As it turns out, it was high on the agenda.

"We know that while there are parts of rural and regional Victoria doing well, there are other areas who are doing it tough," said Minister Symes.  

"This is most prevalent in those areas dealing with drought and dry conditions… And that’s why climate change and drought are driving a lot of my thinking."

"It’s these factors that require me to not only think about my role over the next four years but helping our farmers and their communities set themselves up for the next forty years."

Elaborating on the impacts of climate change in Victoria, Minister Symes noted farming communities had seen drought, fire, flood, storm damage and frost in recent years and said she was “truly shocked” to see the impacts of drought in East Gippsland.

After a confronting summer in which we have seen record-breaking heatwaves across the continent and damaging bushfires in Victoria, community members are looking for governments to show leadership to tackle the climate crisis.