Uniting Communities have signed the Declaration - that a fast, fair and inclusive plan to address climate change this decade matters to the community sector and the communities we work with throughout South Australia. Rapidly worsening climate change is hurting our communities and without this action on climate change, matters will only continue to decline.

OUR STATEMENT: Why does fast, fair and inclusive climate action matter to us as an organisation?

Lower income people are likely to have worse health outcomes resulting from climate change and rent the least energy efficient housing, meaning that they are most impacted. Uniting Communities has taken leadership in reducing its impact on the environment and was Australia’s first charity to be certified carbon neutral in 2015 and recently committed to being net carbon zero by 2035. Making a lasting difference needs all levels of government, industry and the private and not for profit sectors to make commitments now to address climate change and its impacts.

The Declaration will be delivered to Federal decision-makers this Advocacy Week by the Australian Council of Social Service (ACOSS), in preparation for the United Nations Climate Summit in November – where the Australian Government will be required to submit their climate pollution reduction targets. Advocacy Week is calling on the Australian federal government to commit to stronger targets and fair and inclusive policies to cut climate pollution this decade.

You can find out more about the Declaration and view the other organisations who have signed on the ACOSS website.