Climate Emergencies in Australian Local Governments: From Symbolic Act to Disrupting the Status Quo?

This paper examines the emerging phenomenon of climate emergency declarations. We focus on the case of Victoria Australia and the 30 councils who have declared a climate emergency with a particular focus on three councils. We explore the drivers, meanings, and implications and to what extent the sub...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Climate (Basel) 2022-03, Vol.10 (3), p.38
Main Authors: Greenfield, Anthony, Moloney, Susie, Granberg, Mikael
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Civil society
Climate
Climate change
climate change governance
climate emergency
Community
Councils
COVID-19
Disruption
Emergencies
Local climates
Local government
Political leadership
Political Science
Statsvetenskap
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Summary:This paper examines the emerging phenomenon of climate emergency declarations. We focus on the case of Victoria Australia and the 30 councils who have declared a climate emergency with a particular focus on three councils. We explore the drivers, meanings, and implications and to what extent the subsequent plans reflect a reframing of local government roles and actions. We find the emergency declaration movement is catalysing councils beyond symbolic declarations potentially opening up space for change and disruption. Of interest in this paper is also the principal and theoretical implications for citizens, local government, and for research that is connected with this emerging trend. We highlight conclusions, ideas, and perspectives that can be drawn from this study of the Australian practice of climate emergency declarations.
ISSN:2225-1154
2225-1154
DOI:10.3390/cli10030038