Easier being green

A TOOWOOMBA councillor has slammed the council’s new strategy on green infrastructure for removing the words “climate change” from the document.

Cr Megan O’Hara Sullivan was scathing of the wording change to the TRC’s new Green Infrastructure Strategy, which would now guide how the council planned, delivered and valued the region’s green assets.

While Cr O’Hara Sullivan said she was fine with the vast majority of the document, she took issue with changes to the document that removed “climate change” as a phrase, replacing it with “climate variation” or other terms.

“When this document came to council I was really excited that we would have a premier green document and so much good work has been put into it,” she said.

“The document came mentioning climate change specifically, and somehow, the words were taken out, incredibly replaced by ‘climate challenge’, which is so close it’s kind of sad and laughable.

“The only explanation I have been given is that climate change is an inflammatory term, but I don’t actually think it’s inflammatory to anyone except for political or ideological reasons.

“It’s black and white – we either believe in climate change, or we don’t.”

Cr Mike Williams backed the document, saying it was a strategy to help create more liveable communities and not directing on climate change as an issue.

IT’S BLACK AND WHITE – WE EITHER BELIEVE IN CLIMATE CHANGE, OR WE DON’T.

CR O’HARA SULLIVAN

“This document quite clearly isn’t about climate change, it’s about the living environments for our communities,” he said.

“This document is about our community, this document needs to be a non-divisive allencompassing document that brings our community together.

“I support the document, because I believe that is what it delivers.”

Cr O’Hara Sullivan received some support from Cr Bill Cahill, who was concerned about the strategy’s impact on the council securing government grant funding if it didn’t contain “climate change” as an accepted term.

“You can’t argue about liveability separately from the overall effects of climate change,” he said.

“If our document which puts the rubber on the road doesn’t speak that universal language, we’re out of sync.”

The motion was passed despite the opposition, with planning portfolio leader Cr Anne Glasheen calling it a “policy framework for a collaborative approach to sustaining clean air and water, healthy food, climate resilience and liveable communities.”