Councillor Lucas Maddock, writing in an individual capacity
As a correction to my quote in ‘Punching above our weight’ in last week’s Mail: it’s the cost of not getting our response to climate change right which terrifies me, as it will be infinitely greater than any investments we make now.
Last week, Council reached a milestone in its greenhouse gas emissions reduction strategy. This is a win that should be celebrated, especially as it was a whole community and Council effort that got us to this point. It’s important that we recognise that, since the strategy was set, the climate situation has become much worse. As a broader society we know what we need to do to prevent catastrophic climate change, but we are not reaching our targets. Our inaction is going to have unimaginable consequences for all future generations.
As a community, we need to find ways to further drive down our emissions. There has already been considerable work done by the community and governments in this area and we’re in an excellent position to build on that. This is the biggest challenge of our time. It’s more important than ever that, as a community and as a Council, we get these next steps right. If you’ve ever thought of joining your local climate action group it’s now more vital than ever. Please check my social media pages for a list of local groups you can join.
