Liveable & just: a toolkit for local governments to address the social and equity impacts of climate change

The Liveable & Just Toolkit is the culmination of a project to explore how local governments across Victoria are responding to the social and equity impacts of climate change.In June 2009 the Victorian Local Governance Association (VLGA) and Melbourne University’s McCaughey Centre travelled across the state to hear directly from local governments about issues of priority, success stories, challenges, and lessons learned in addressing the social and equity impacts of climate change. Workshops covered crucial issues such as heatwaves and bushfires, rising costs of water, energy and transport, physical and mental health, and the heightened vulnerability of groups such as the mentally ill, homeless, aged, and infants. In response to workshop outcomes and recommendations, the Liveable & Just Toolkit provides a practical framework to help integrate responses to the social and equity impacts of climate change across council activities. It also presents ideas and suggestions for local government to respond to climate change in ways that simultaneously promote social justice.