News

Our Climate Emergency Action Plan 2025 - 2030 has been adopted!

21 October 2025

At the October 2025 Council Meeting, the final Climate Emergency Action Plan for 2025 - 2030 was adopted unanimously.

Council acknowledged feedback received through community and stakeholder engagement, which ran from 23 June to 20 July 2025.

Overall, community feedback reflected strong support for the strategic directions, goals and actions set out in the draft action plan.

Suggestions received during the consultation period resulted in several refinements to the final Climate Emergency Action Plan, including:

  • A broadening of language and activities around climate and social justice to better reflect Council’s obligation to act in solidarity with First Nations, regional and global communities being hardest hit by climate impacts, and to elevate their voices.
  • A more ambitious goal for local energy storage by 2030, anticipating the positive impact of the federal government’s Cheaper Home Batteries Program.
  • Adding an action to investigate the potential to establish or partner to establish a library of things or similar, to foster equipment re-use in Merri-bek.
  • Some restructuring of content, including creation of a graphic visualisation of the 'plan on a page', to help communicate the plan's high-level scope to a broader audience.

Climate Emergency Action Plan 2025 - 2030

For a zero carbon, circular (zero waste) and climate resilient Merri-bek.

Socially just & resilient - no one left behind

  • Low-income and at-risk residents are not left behind
  • Communicate, engage, and collaborate with our diverse community
  • More shade trees in backyards, schools, retirement villages
  • Progress 'resilience hubs' model in at-risk neighbourhoods
  • Foster a heat aware community
  • Help 1000 households with energy bills and home thermal comfort

Energy transition- efficient and 100% renewable

  • Promote and facilitate household energy transition
  • Energy innovation and partnerships
  • Foster energy transition by businesses
  • Triple local energy storage batteries

Sustainable transport- active or zero emissions

  • School active travel
  • Increased adoption of low and zero emissions travel by our diverse community
  • Facilitating EV charging network
  • Creating a more walking and cycling friendly city
  • Upgrades to support walking and riding at Ride & Stride schools

Waste & consumption - circular economy

  • Education and behaviour change
  • Efficient and high-performance kerbside services
  • Reduce food and packaging waste from businesses and multi-unit developments
  • Circular economy opportunities and outcomes for and by businesses, social enterprises and community
  • Halve food and garden waste sent to landfill

Council as role model - leading by example

  • City planning
  • Council buildings and infrastructure
  • Fleet
  • Services and operations
  • Advocacy

Complemented by Strategies for:

  • Urban forest
  • Transport
  • Nature
  • Water management