Following their meeting in Hobart on Friday 15 March, capital city Lord Mayors agreed that Australian cities need national action to adapt to a changing climate. The impacts of climate change have been experienced this summer, by increasing storm severity, extended periods of heat, drought, floods and bush fires.
Lord Mayors discussed the challenges facing Australian cities in dealing with the growing impact of a changing climate. This follows advice from the Reserve Bank this week, which noted the effects of climate change are negatively impacting on our economy. Lord Mayors also noted the significant advocacy efforts of Australian students today calling for climate change policy action in cities around the nation.
The Lord Mayor of Hobart and Chair of the Council of Capital City Lord Mayors, Anna Reynolds, said “Cities are concerned about the recent spate of extreme weather events we have had nationally. We need more specific attention from the Federal Government to prepare our cities for a changing climate that protects the people living, working and visiting them.”
The Lord Mayors will be advocating for election commitments in the lead up to the May election to ensure continuation of the Federal Government’s National Resilience Taskforce (due to close in June 2019). They will also push for a National Chief Resilience Officer Fund to employ resilience specialists in each major city to provide advice on how to better adapt to climate extremes.
