Page 1611 - Week 06 - Wednesday, 2 June 2021

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(c) the Climate Council reported in April 2021 that the majority of emissions cuts need to occur within the next decade to avoid major irreversible tipping points;

(d) the ACT has been significantly impacted by climate change in recent years with the ACT experiencing:

(i) the hottest January on record in 2019;

(ii) the hottest ever day on 4 January 2020;

(iii) the most hazardous air quality in any city in the world in January 2020. This smoke event was directly caused by cross-border fires and is estimated to have resulted in 31 deaths; and

(iv) significant loss of flora and fauna through the Orroral Valley fires in January and February 2020, including damage to 80 percent of Namadgi National Park and 20 percent of Tidbinbilla;

(e) climate impacts will get worse over time and our entire community is being impacted by the health and safety risks of fossil fuel expansion, particularly those who also face socioeconomic and health inequities, including people with underlying health conditions, our First Nations peoples, culturally and linguistically diverse communities, those living in low-income households, those experiencing homelessness, the young, the elderly and those with a mental or physical disability;

(f) our youth and future generations have the most to lose from a lack of immediate action to stop fossil fuel expansion as they face major and lifelong health, ecological, social, and economic impacts from prolonged and cumulative effects of climate change, including food and water shortages, infectious diseases, and natural disasters;

(g) the ACT was the first State or Territory in Australia to declare a state of climate emergency in May 2019, recognising the worsening impacts of climate change on the community and that climate action requires urgent action across all levels of government;

(h) the ACT Government has a continuing commitment to being at the forefront of meaningful climate action and reducing our demand for fossil fuels through:

(i) demonstrating our national and international leadership on climate change;

(ii) powering Canberra with 100 percent renewable electricity from 2020;

(iii) achieving zero net emissions by 2045 at the latest;

(iv) phasing out fossil fuel gas by 2045;

(v) delivering 30 percent tree canopy and 30 percent permeable surfaces coverage in our urban footprint;

(vi) encouraging the transition to zero emission vehicles and active transport; and

(vii) transitioning Canberra’s built environment to be climate-ready and environmentally sustainable; and

(i) the ACT Government continues to have work to do;

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