The poor and marginalised are always the first to suffer from climate change, both in a local and global context, despite having done the least to cause it.
In the Bega Valley we already have people suffering from housing, energy and food insecurity.
In Australia one in eight people live in poverty (below 50% of the median income) according to the Poverty in Australia Report 2020 by Australian Council of Social Service and the University of NSW. High rents and low benefits mean that 8/10 people on Newstart regularly miss meals, have trouble paying utility bills and have insecure housing. In the Bega Valley the percentage of people earning less than $650 a week is 29.1% compared with NSW (19.7%) and Australia (20.0%) (Australian Census 2016). With the devastating bushfires of 2020 and the subsequent COVID19 pandemic this would be even higher now.
When you have $15 a day left after paying housing costs it doesn’t give a lot of room for choice to reduce carbon emissions.
And yet fresh fruit and vegetables will become more expensive due to increased drought, heat, floods and storms. Heat waves will kill people who cannot afford air conditioners or the energy bills for them. People without cars or the money to buy petrol are unable to Leave Early during bushfire season. People who cannot afford house insurance are left with nothing when houses are lost to natural disasters. People who cannot afford a coffee risk becoming socially isolated.
So what can Bega Valley Council do so that when the extremes of climate change bite harder we don’t leave anyone behind?
Advocacy with State and Federal Governments for low income grants and loans to retrofit houses, energy efficient social housing and community safe shelters and a liveable welfare payment.
Partnerships with other organisations for: community energy generation; bulk buys of solar panels, solar water heaters and electric vehicles; emergency education; reducing food waste; and public food forests and community gardens.
Educate and build community. Provide air conditioned spaces where people can gather, learn and spend time without requiring them to spend.
Change planning regulations to enforce low income housing, EV chargers and connecting bike paths in all large developments and allow edible verges and street trees.
Strong community ties, affordable access to essentials and a community that understands what to do to stay safe during emergencies will help us leave no-one behind.
Comments
Post a Comment