We the undersigned, residents and ratepayers of Macedon Ranges Shire formally request Council to declare a Climate Emergency through the adoption of the following motions of Council:

• Council acknowledges that current levels of global warming and future warming already committed to constitute nothing less than an emergency for most life on this planet, requiring an emergency response by all levels of government, including local government.

• That the proposal is passed such that Macedon Ranges Shire Council declares a Climate Emergency and, informed by and building on work already undertaken in Council’s Environmental Strategy, Biodiversity Strategy, Climate Change Action Plan, Regional Climate Adaptation Plan, Macedon Ranges Climate Change and Adaptation Report, and Cool Changes program, commits to, within the next 12 months:

1. Develop a Council Climate Emergency Response which provides a whole of Council framework for climate change mitigation and adaptation.
2. Ensure the Climate Emergency Response affects all future decisions of Council.
3. Review all existing Council plans and policies for consistency with the declaration of a climate emergency and with a view to facilitating a Climate Emergency Response.
4. Immediately review Council policy, “to have at least 20% of its investments with banks and financial institutions that do not invest in or finance the fossil fuel industry” and divest from fossil fuels.
5. Develop a public education strategy to raise awareness of Council’s declaration of a climate emergency and emergency responses and encourage formation of local Climate Change Action Plans.
6. Advocate for policies consistent with a declaration of a climate emergency in inter-governmental fora and within the Central Victorian Greenhouse Alliance.
7. Allocate additional staff resources to enable the execution of steps 1-6 above.

Signed hard copy versions of this petition collected by coalition partners can be scanned and sent to: mrcedc@protonmail.com