Western Bay sign Climate Change Declaration

Western Bay of Plenty District Council is the latest Council to sign the Local Government Leaders' Climate Change Declaration.

The Declaration, which is managed by Local Government New Zealand, has been signed by a large number of District and Regional councils nationwide and aims to:

1. acknowledge the importance and urgent need to address climate change for the benefit of current and future generations;
2. give our support to the New Zealand Government for developing and implementing, in collaboration with councils, communities and businesses, an ambitious transition plan toward a low carbon and resilient New Zealand;
3. encourage Government to be more ambitious with climate change mitigation measures;
4. outline key commitments our councils will take in responding to the opportunities and risks posed by climate change; and
5. recommend important guiding principles for responding to climate change.

The document also signals what commitments Councils will make. These are to:

1. Develop and implement ambitious action plans that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and support resilience within our own councils and for our local communities. These plans will:
2. promote walking, cycling, public transport and other low carbon transport options;
3. work to improve the resource efficiency and health of homes, businesses and infrastructure in our district; and
4. support the use of renewable energy and uptake of electric vehicles.
5. Work with our communities to understand, prepare for and respond to the physical impacts of climate change.
6. Work with central government to deliver on national emission reduction targets and support resilience in our communities.For more information visit the LGNZ website.