Help shape the Cairns Climate Strategy 2030

Published: 28 May 2021. (Note: information was correct at date of publication but may have since been changed or superseded.)

Cairns Regional Council is calling on the community to help shape the Cairns Climate Strategy 2030 by completing an online survey, or sharing their views at Cairns Ecofiesta.

The Cairns Climate Strategy 2030 will set out climate goals, actions and adaptation targets for Council operations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and climate risks.

The survey ­- for businesses, individuals and community groups - will also be used to identify ways Council can support and inform the Cairns community about climate issues.

Cairns Mayor Bob Manning said everyone had a part to play in reducing emissions for a cleaner world and becoming more resilient in the face of a changing climate.

“Climate change is affecting every country. Cities, like ours, are undergoing a major shift to reduce their climate impacts and build resilience,” Cr Manning said.

“Council has achieved a 46 per cent reduction in emissions on 2007/08 levels, installed 3 megawatts of solar across 30 Council facilities, built more than 550km of paths and cycleways for active travel and brought people together in the community to support climate action.

“We were the first council in Australia to host a Youth Climate Summit, a process we will repeat this year as part of a wider Community Climate Summit to feed into our Climate Change Strategy.

“In our Cairns region, we are particularly vulnerable to impacts of climate change, such as coastal hazards, natural disasters, and changes to air and sea temperatures, but we are also uniquely placed to build competitive advantage as a smart green economy to provide sustainable growth opportunities for the region.”

Cr Manning encouraged all Cairns people and businesses to complete the survey to help identify a course of action for the next decade.

“We live in one of the world’s most beautiful and biodiverse places and we have a duty to act on climate change to be the best custodians that we can be,” said Cr Manning.

Find out more and do the Cairns Climate Change Strategy 2030 survey online. The survey will be open until the end of June.

You can also have input at Council’s stall at Cairns Ecofiesta, to be held at Munro Martin Parklands from 10am to 6pm on Sunday 13 June.