North Sydney Council was the 30th Australian Council to declare a ‘climate emergency’.
Councillors unanimously voted on 22 July 2019 to acknowledge that climate change poses a threat to the future of our cities, including the North Sydney Local Government Area.
More than 600 jurisdictions worldwide have recognised a state of climate emergency that requires immediate action by all levels of government. In Australia, these include Hawkesbury City Council, Melbourne City Council, City of Sydney, City of Ryde and Randwick City Council.
North Sydney Council agreed to join and support the City of Sydney’s resolution of 24 June 2019 calling upon the State and Federal Governments to declare a climate emergency and to respond to this emergency by taking urgent action to meet the emissions reduction targets contained in the Paris Agreement.
Council wrote to the Prime Minister, Premier of NSW and relevant State and Federal Ministers providing a copy of the Council resolution and calling upon them to act urgently to address climate change and its impacts.
Council also voted to encourage neighbouring Local Government Areas to also declare a climate emergency and advocate to State and Federal Governments in their own right.