Community sector vital to climate crisis response - Centre for Just Places

A new Australian-first climate crisis plan sets out how the sector can use a local lens for mitigation.

Several communities across Melbourne’s west are joining forces in pursuit of climate justice, in a model that could serve as a lesson for other communities around the country.

The council areas of Brimbank, Hobsons Bay, Maribyrnong, Melton and Wyndham have developed a Collaborative Action Plan, the culmination of work conducted by Jesuit Social Services’ Centre for Just Places (CJP) between 2021 and 2022.

With funding from the Greater Melbourne Foundation, CJP worked with more than 44 community health and community service organisations (CHCSOs) on the plan, which is part of the Mobilising Climate Just and Resilient Communities in Melbourne’s West project.

The plan is thought to be an Australian-first.

Based on place-based collaboration, the plan sets out what CHCSOs are already doing in relation to the climate crisis, health and social justice, identifies gaps, and provides a guide on what should be done to build the capacity of CHCSOs to respond to communities vulnerable to the climate crisis.

Read more

What we're thinking and doing

“Timing is everything”: Eco-Justice Hub volunteers support those affected by Victorian bushfires

Much was lost when the Longwood bushfires ran through homes and farms in January, but recent work from visiting volunteers has helped one Upton local to reinstate his burnt-out garden.

What we're thinking and doing

Holding out for climate action in the Territory

The convincing re-election of the Albanese government signals that Australians want to see action on climate justice, and on policies that improve social cohesion and community wellbeing. But the CLP seems to be leading the NT in the opposite direction, based on its budget and new policy positions.

What we're thinking and doing

10 years of Laudato Si’ – Jesuit Social Services’ commitment to Ecological Justice

This week marks the tenth anniversary of the late Pope Francis’ landmark encyclical Laudato Si’, in which he called for urgent, unified action in response to what he described as “one complex crisis that is both social and environmental.”

Centre for Just Places

What we're thinking and doing

Jesuit Social Services staff explore how nature-based therapy can enhance their practice

On a rainy morning in a patch of Kew bushland, Jesuit Social Services staff gathered to learn about nature-based therapeutic practice and the ways it can enhance their work with participants, and improve their own wellbeing. Nature-based therapy describes activities centred around engagement with the natural world to improve physical, social and emotional wellbeing. It is not only about green spaces, and…

Centre for Just Places

What we're thinking and doing

Nine Yarra neighbourhood houses join forces to strengthen local climate resilience

Nine Yarra neighbourhood houses gathered last week to launch a plan to reduce their environmental footprint and support the local community to adapt to climate change. Neighborhood houses are among the first to step up during community crises such as dealing with the impacts of extreme weather and are key responders for community members experiencing…

What we're thinking and doing

Neighbourhood houses building climate resilience and community connections

In the city of Darebin, nestled in the inner north of Melbourne, there are many community members who experience multiple forms of disadvantage and are vulnerable to the impacts of heat. As extreme weather events become more frequent, the Centre for Just Places is working closely with communities like Darebin, to build climate resilience. The Centre empowers…

What we're thinking and doing

Alliance key to climate justice in the Northern Territory

The Northern Territory is on the frontline of intensifying heat, extreme weather events, and rising sea levels. Remote communities and homelands across the Territory are particularly at risk of these impacts with many Aboriginal communities already facing food insecurity, a lack of safe drinking water and access to reliable, affordable electricity.