Have your say on Canberra’s next Climate Strategy: It will be make or break - Gregory Andrews

Lyrebird Dreaming - Gregory Andrews

The ACT’s electric bus depot.

AUTHOR   Gregory Andrews is: Founder and Managing Director of Lyrebird Dreaming A former Australian Ambassador and High Commissioner in West Africa Australia’s first Threatened Species Commissioner A leader in Indigenous policy

The ACT Government is inviting submissions on its next Climate Change Strategy which will run out to 2035. Public consultation closes on 18 March 2026. 

I’ve already lodged a submission because this is one of those moments when a government process like this really matters. 

Decisions made in this strategy will shape not just how Canberra cuts emissions, but whether it remains a liveable, safe and resilient city in a rapidly changing climate.

The ACT has done important things already, and it should get credit for them. 

• Its achievement of 100% renewable electricity was nationally significant. 
• Its investment in electric buses is real and visible. 
• The new Woden facility is Australia’s largest electric bus depot and a strong example of the kind of practical climate infrastructure governments should be building. It charges up to 100 electric buses.

But climate leadership isn’t something you get to claim forever because you were early in one area. Targets and announcements are one thing. Delivery is what matters.

That, and the latest climate science, are why this next strategy is so important. The ACT Government is not meeting its existing emissions reduction targets. Across the globe we are already feeling the impacts of the climate crisis. 

My submission argues that mitigation and adaptation both need equal and greater priority. Climate change is no longer a future emergency. It is already affecting how cities like Canberra function, how infrastructure performs, and how communities cope with heat, smoke, storms and flood. 

What Canberra does now on emissions reduction and climate adaptation will help determine whether it remains a safe, fair and liveable city for the people who live there.

That means stronger mitigation efforts. Transport is one of the hardest sectors. The ACT needs to keep pushing electrification, public transport and active travel. Electric buses are part of the story, but cycling is too. 

Canberra will not seriously cut transport emissions unless it improves cycling infrastructure with safer and more continuous lanes. Active travel is climate policy, public health policy and resilience policy at the same time.

It also means stronger adaptation. Buildings, precincts and infrastructure must be designed for the climate ahead rather than the climate behind us. A city cannot call itself climate ready if new assets remain vulnerable to foreseeable heat or flooding. 

The new CIT building in Woden, for example, was not designed for today’s climate. Its basement is closed and lifts are not fully functional because of flood damage. Adaptation needs to be built into planning, procurement and design from the start.

My submission also argues for a stronger strategy on waste reduction, recycling, organics and the circular economy. The ACT once had a ‘No Waste by 2010’ strategy but it quietly faded away.

And then there is Country. This strategy should have a much stronger Caring for Country lens. Not as symbolism and not as an afterthought. Caring for Country has practical relevance to biodiversity, urban cooling, water, fire, community wellbeing and long-term stewardship. 

A better climate strategy for Canberra will take First Nations knowledge, relationships and governance seriously.

So yes, I’ve made a submission because this feels like a make-or-break moment. The ACT has strong foundations. The real test now is whether climate ambition becomes delivery.

If you live in Canberra or care about its future, consider making a submission before 18 March. 

It does not need to be an expert paper. Simply tell the ACT Government clearly that climate action needs to be stronger, more practical and more honest about the scale of the challenge ahead. 

Canberra needs a plan that cuts emissions faster and adapts to the impacts already arriving.

 Gregory Andrews Climate Change Articles

• Global Warming Has Accelerated: Evidence from Observations After Removing Natural Variability
• IPCC Sixth Assessment Report Synthesis Report: Climate Change 2023
• Global Temperature: Vital Signs of the Planet
• Effects of Climate Change
• Why a 4°C Warmer World Must Be Avoided
• Global Warming in the Pipeline
• Trends in Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide
• Global CO₂ Emissions Trends