Greetings all!
We hope that you and your loved ones are managing with the impacts of COVID-19.
Thanks to everyone who has shared our petition to date. Together, in just over 8 months, we have exceeded 2,000 signatures!
Thanks to all of you, the Councillors and Officers at the City of Glen Eira are paying close attention to this petition, so we must keep up our great work.
Late in January 2020, a collection of Glen Eira residents gathered together to build a campaign to get Glen Eira Council to Declare a Climate Emergency. Our group is called GECAN: Glen Eira Emergency Climate Action Network.
GECAN’s purpose is:
To compel the City of Glen Eira Council to declare a climate emergency and to develop an action plan for swift and robust action on climate.
We understand that to address the severity and scale of the climate crisis, we need to heed the scientists’ warnings and take commensurate action. We must take action at a war-time equivalent speed and scale to reduce carbon emissions to zero by 2030, AND to draw greenhouse gases out of the atmosphere in order to limit global warming to 1.5°C.
Over the summer we witnessed the devastating impacts of wildfires and flooding across Australia. We’ve had toxic smoke drift into our living rooms, impacting our daily lives and our health. These catastrophic events are a result of 1.1°C of warming. The prospect of life at 1.5°C warming is simply terrifying.
The Council and the community must work together in the face of this climate crisis, however, Council is currently only considering committing to reduce its own corporate emissions. Council’s corporate emissions, from council buildings and operations, account for only about 5% of emissions in the local government area, with the remaining 95% of emissions created by the community - businesses, industry, transport and our homes. We need to work together to mobilise our community, our friends, colleagues, neighbours, shopkeepers and posties. We need all hands on deck.
This is why we need Glen Eira Council to declare a climate emergency. So that people in our community who may be confused by political arguments and obfuscation, climate denial and lies in the media, understand that we are in an emergency and consequently, that we are all required to get on with the new business of the future, saving our species.
A paper petition - we need your help!
To get this campaign really moving, we need a little more help from you. We now know that to accept a petition, Council requires petition signatures - on paper - with the person’s address and postcode. This is to verify that the people signing the petition are residents and ratepayers in the City of Glen Eira. We’re aiming for 2,000 signatures on paper so we can send the Council a strong message. Council will be considering climate action, including Declaring a Climate Emergency soon, on 28 April.
How can you help?
Collect signatures for the petition - you can download the petition here. You might only be able to collect signatures from people in your household (if you do share with neighbours, ask people to use their own pen). We are planning to submit the petition to Council on 21 April, so please post your signed petition/s by 18 April at the latest, so we can submit as many signatures as possible. The postal address is provided on the petition form.
For more information to contact us by email gcan2030 (at) gmail.com or join our Facebook group.
Yours, in action for a safer climate,
Belinda and everyone at the Glen Eira Emergency Climate Action Network (GECAN)
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GECAN supports our neighbours. Please join and share their campaigns and events.
- SECAN - South East Climate Action Network
- PECAN - Port Phillip Emergency Climate Action Network
- BCCAG - Bayside Climate Crisis Action Group
- MECAN - Monash Emergency Climate Action Network
In the spirit of respect and humanity, we recognise the Aboriginal peoples of Australia, the Kulin nations, as the traditional owners and custodians of these lands and waters. We acknowledge that sovereignty over this land was never ceded and its taking was just the beginning of years of atrocities and hurt. Like many First Nations, Aboriginal people are at the coalface of climate action and their communities are torn apart by it.
We pay our respects to their elders past, present and emerging and say sorry for all we have done.