The idea of declaring a climate emergency has been labelled "tokenistic" by Wangaratta councillor Dave Fuller.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Indigo Council last month became one of 32 councils across Australia to make the declaration, citing the need to stop a catastrophe for the planet in the future.
Wangaratta youth mayor Toby Miliankos-King spoke at Tuesday's Wangaratta Council meeting, asking councillors if was possible for the city to do the same.
"I've had a few people approach me about declaring a climate emergency," he said.
The response from mayor Dean Rees was brief: "good question - no".
Cr Fuller took the answer further.
IN OTHER NEWS:
"I'm currently working with our federal member Helen Haines to look at the scenarios around that," he said.
"There have been some local councils that have jumped onto that bandwagon and tokenistically declared it without actually looking at what the steps are involved in things like that.
"If we were to do it, we would look at ensuring we could actually achieve something because we want to make it meaningful and purposeful."
Wangaratta chief executive Brendan McGrath said he had researched other councils that have declared a climate emergency, looking at their strategic plans.
"It's something we need to talk through a little bit more as an organisation and work out what can be done here," he said.
Dr Haines told The Border Mail the regular Indi local government roundtable meetings with the electorate's mayors and chief executives was a terrific opportunity for Cr Fuller to put climate on the agenda.
"This will allow us collectively to explore approaches such as declaring a climate emergency," she said.
"Responding to climate change takes a shared whole-of-community and government approach.
"An effective response needs collaboration to ensure that our responses are just and that these bring us together, rather than divide us.
"We need effective communication of the evidence of what's going on, about the impact of that in our communities and environment - now and into the future.
"We need to work together on practical solutions that provide new opportunities for us in renewable energy generation, innovative solutions to waste disposal, adaptive agricultural and land use approaches with potential new markets, and the development of technology."