On the 19 November, Better Futures Australia hosted this session to find the answers. Together with an esteemed panel of speakers, the session covered the global and Australian context for local councils, their role and what the sector as a whole needed to do in the lead up to the COP26.
Read MoreICLEI Oceania is pleased to announce a partnership with Informed.City, a business helping cities use data to support informed decision-making to shape resilient and sustainable futures. In 2020, Informed.City won innovator of the year for the Climate Alliance Awards.
Read MoreWe extend a warm welcome to the Kiribati Local Government Association (KiLGA), also known as Aia Rabwata Kauntira. The LGA supports local government services and networks in Kiribati and the Pacific.
Read MoreThree inspiring Mayors from Adelaide, Newcastle and Byron spoke at the Daring Cities 2020 Global Forum, the world’s largest online forum for urban leaders tackling the climate emergency. By sharing their local stories, they reveal how three similar but different cities are paving their communities towards a net-zero future. Below are some excerpts from the presentations and links to further watching and reading. Visit the Daring Cities website to view recordings of these and other events.
Read MoreA new committee for the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy (GCoM) in Oceania, established to address climate change from a local level has met for the first time. The committee aims to boost collaboration between cities, local governments and community partners globally to achieve emissions reductions while adapting to a changing climate.
Read MoreHobsons Bay has taken a major step towards its climate change mitigation goals of achieving net-zero emissions for council emissions by 2020 and for its community emissions by 2030. It is installing new solar panels on more than 40 council owned and occupied buildings, acting as a Virtual Power Plant (VPP).
Read MoreICLEI and Swinburne University have now conducted interviews with the first group of 9 CitiesWithNature Pioneer councils. The interviews are designed to learn about council priorities for nature-based solutions and to develop the best way for the research community and ICLEI to support their work. More interviews will be conducted in the coming months and at least one focus group webinar will be held to discuss the findings with interviewees.
Read MoreIt’s been one year since the City of Wollongong declared a climate emergency. Since then, the Council has progressed on many fronts including net-zero emissions targets, urban greening, cycling infrastructure, waste management and sustainable procurement. Wollongong is one of just 27 Australian signatories to the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy, having joined in 2017.
Read MoreICLEI Oceania is delighted to welcome two new members to the ICLEI network, the City of West Torrens and Cairns Regional Council. Now part of ICLEI’s global network of more than 1,750 local and regional governments, Cairns and West Torrens will contribute to and benefit from city-to-city knowledge exchange, technical expertise and contribute to global advocacy campaigns and processes.
Read MoreThe City of Newcastle is working closely with community and local businesses to create a new 2025 Climate Action Plan to fast-track its vision for a low-carbon future. The draft Plan is on exhibition until 5pm Monday 31 August 2020.
Read MoreSince the start of the pandemic, there has been a marked increase in the appreciation and demand for open public spaces, as outlined by Greener Spaces Better Places.
Read MoreIf managing multiple disasters at a time will be the new normal, how can local governments and their communities simultaneously manage recovery efforts while coping with concurrent disasters? This may be a significant turning point for the reconceptualisation and reintegration of “resilience” into all aspects of local government disaster planning.
Read MoreOn 7th May 2020, Point Advisory and the ICLEI Young Writers Network hosted a webinar on positive climate change communication for agency and empowerment. Drawing from communications research, the webinar was designed to empower listeners with new skills, perspectives and actionable ways of effectively and positively communicating climate change, especially in the context of COVID-19.
Read MoreAs local governments adapt to life under lockdown many face disruptions to their climate plans. Confronting the dual challenges of coronavirus and climate change will require municipal governments to get creative and draw on non-monetary reserves: their community’s compassion and social capital to help them navigate these uncertain waters.
Read MoreStories about how local governments are responding innovatively are being shared on Cities for Global Health, a platform where city governments can report responses to the COVID—19 outbreak. The initiative is being led by Metropolis and ALLIAs.
Read More