Mosman Council passes climate emergency resolution

Mosman Council voted on Tuesday 12 November to declare a “climate emergency”, stating that climate change poses a serious risk to the people of Mosman and Australia, and should be treated as a national emergency.

“This declaration is in keeping with Mosman’s longstanding commitment to reducing its impact on the environment, and educating our community about living more sustainably,” Mayor Carolyn Corrigan said following the meeting.

“We join with and support other councils and Local Government NSW in calling on state and federal governments to take urgent action to at least meet the Paris Agreement emissions reduction targets.”

The decision was made before a packed public gallery and followed impassioned speeches by several Mosman residents in favour of the Motion, which was moved by Cr Tom Sherlock and seconded by the Mayor.

A report will be prepared for Council’s December meeting on the climate actions that Mosman has already taken and the best options for Mosman to further reduce emissions and prepare for climate change.

• A commitment to convert lighting in residential streets to LED by December 2020 and planning for potential main street light conversion.
• Retrofitting Council buildings and carparks with LED lights, saving an estimated 216,000kg in CO2 emissions annually.
• Monitoring council and community energy and water usage for potential improvements.
• Upgrading solar panels at the Marie Bashir Sports Centre and planning for Civic Centre installation.
• Supporting local schools in converting to solar power through the Solar My School program.
• Expanding Mosman’s bicycle network by 22km and developing a new Active Transport Plan to reduce car usage.
• Recycling or reusing Council’s green waste from public land.
• Public education and monitoring programs that have helped to reduce Mosman’s landfill waste by 17kg per capita in the last 4 years..
• Initiatives to improve Mosman’s recycling rates, with more than 90% of paper, co-mingled and garden waste currently being recycled.
• Actively protecting 38ha of bushland, and street and park trees, to improve carbon absorption and protect flora and fauna.
• Promoting and facilitating car sharing.
• Supporting the Mackie Lane Community Garden with its composting initiative.
• Planting over 300 trees since April 2019.