Background

To achieve Banyule's ambitious targets of becoming a zero emissions organisation by 2028 and carbon neutral municipality by 2040, we developed the Corporate Emissions Reduction Plan (2020-23) and are currently redeveloping it with updates. We are also creating Banyule's first Climate Adaptation Plan in 2025 with the aim of it being approved in early 2026.

Since 2020, we have made significant progress while responding to climate change including:

• cutting Council's emissions by 61%
• using 100% renewable energy from wind farms at Council offices in Flintoff Street through the VECO agreement
• installing solar panels on 85 Council buildings
• developing Banyule's first Urban Forest Strategy
• assisting households with energy efficiency upgrades to make homes cooler in summer and warmer in winter

We are now seeking feedback on the draft Corporate Emissions Reduction Plan until 19 October 2025 and will be seeking feedback to help shape the Climate Adaptation Plan from 15 September until 15 October 2025.

In the video below, Plan 1 refers to the Corporate Emissions Reduction Plan while Plan 2 refers to the Climate Adaptation Plan. When this resource was created in 2024, Council was working toward carbon neutrality. We are now proposing a shift away from carbon neutrality/net zero to real zero, which means we are aiming to eliminate all emissions instead of relying on offsets for some emissions.

Climate mitigation and adaptation are two ways we respond to climate change. Mitigation focuses on reducing the causes, like cutting greenhouse emissions (eg. using solar panels or planting trees), while adaptation helps us adjust to the impacts, such as more heatwaves or floods (eg. building flood resistant roads or creating cool spaces in parks). Sometimes, the same action does both. For example, planting trees helps absorb carbon (mitigation) and provides shade to cool our neighbourhoods (adaptation). By combining these approaches, we can protect both the environment and our communities more effectively.

The infographic below, visually highlights the difference and the overlap.

Preliminary community engagement

From 15 January to 24 March 2024, we asked the community to help us shape a sustainable and resilient community.

145 people provided feedback through an online survey. We also heard feedback through a variety of other engagement activities including:

• community forums
• presentations with Banyule Advisory and Population Committees
• in-person engagement at Eco Festival.

View the full findings report.

What you told us

What we heard about the Corporate Emission Reduction Plan

• 83% of respondents were aware that Council has a target to become a carbon neutral organisation by 2028.
• 62% of respondents think Council should be 'a risk taker, early adopter and industry leader' when investing in new technologies to reduce emissions.
• The majority of respondents would prefer Council to procure offsets which have a local benefit, even if that meant they would cost more.
• The majority of respondents suggest that if offsets were to be purchased, the preference would be for projects that avoid and reduce emissions in the first instance (e.g. using renewable energy and stopping deforestation), rather than projects that remove already emitted carbon emissions from the atmosphere using carbon capture technologies.
• There was a strong awareness of emission reduction goals and a desire for sustainable practices including:
  • renewable energy adoption
  • active transportation promotion
  • waste management improvements.
• Concerns highlighted were:
  • climate change impacts
  • a call for decisive action
  • community involvement in mitigation efforts

What you told us about Climate Adaptation

• Over 80% of respondents are extremely concerned or very concerned about the possible impacts of climate change.
• Almost 60% of respondents stated that their level of preparedness for the impacts of climate change is 'fair to good' and that they'd like to see Council do more work in this space.

Preliminary community and staff engagement conducted in early 2024 emphasised the community's concern for climate change impacts and the need for proactive adaptation measures. Suggestions to respond included infrastructure resilience, biodiversity preservation and sustainable transport initiatives. The feedback reflected the desire for effective climate action and community involvement in resilience building efforts.

We are currently conducting in-depth engagement with community and staff to create a Climate Adaptation Plan and monitoring approach.

Please visit Climate Adaptation Plan | Responding to Climate Change to contribute until 15 October 2025.