We declared a climate emergency in 2020 and set organisational actions in place in Our Climate Emergency Response Strategy 2021–25 | Dhumbali Wurrungi-biik Parbinata (Strategy) to reduce our emissions.

Since then, we’ve taken significant strides in reducing our carbon emissions. Our actions have been both visible and some less noticeable — from the electric Council cars you see driving around the municipality, to engaging with our community and providing education programs, building more sustainable infrastructure and powering all Council operations with 100 per cent renewable energy.

All these actions result in real and measurable outcomes. While we’ll aim to keep reducing our emissions as the science evolves, and as our four-year Council Plan and the Strategy come to an end, we also must think about what the next phase of reducing our emissions will look like.

We factored in the possible purchase of carbon offsets into our net zero goal at the beginning of our climate emergency response journey in 2020. However, as our understanding of climate action has grown and scientists continue to debate the benefits of carbon offsets, we recognise this may not be the most responsible way to balance our carbon footprint.

Although many organisations are using carbon offsets to balance unavoidable emissions, the latest scientific evidence is that they may not be a sustainable long-term solution, or the right solution for now.

We think adjusting our emissions reduction pathway is the right path. We will be focusing Council’s resources on direct action our community can see.

By adjusting our approach and focusing on emissions reduction without offsets for our next phase, we have the opportunity to address the local root causes of climate change.

We’ll keep you updated in the coming months here our website, via our social media channels and in Glen Eira News.

The review was endorsed by Council at the 25 June Council Meeting. For more information about the Meeting. Read more in the agenda and minutes.