Tide of anger as councils foot climate change bill
LOCAL governments are fed up with the lack of climate action from Scott Morrison as a new report reveals councils will have to pay tens of millions of dollars a year due to rising sea levels.
Coastal councils regularly pay about $1m a year to fix eroding beaches and to protect beachside properties and infrastructure but this burden is expected to soar.
Noosa Councillor Brian Stockwell said the cost burden on councils was a “great shame” given it’s the federal government that refuses to commit to a net zero target.
“Local governments are really at the forefront of the effects of climate change,” he said following the release of the report from the Climate Council.
The council has committed to net zero emissions by 2026 and has begun building infrastructure to mitigate the threat of rising sea levels. Climate Council spokesperson and report author Lesley Hughes said the demands on local governments would only increase.
“State and federal assistance is falling short of what’s required,” she said.
The report follows a recent statement from 17 NSW and Queensland councils that “extreme weather is hurting Australia and our communities are paying the price”.