Tackling climate change and its impacts on health through municipal public health and wellbeing planning

The Tackling climate change and its impacts on health through municipal public health and wellbeing planning – Guidance for local government 2024 has been developed by the department to assist councils in meeting their legislative obligations.

This guidance draws on the current scientific understanding of climate change and its impacts on health and councils’ experiences to date. It includes a new section outlining key concepts, principles and enablers to support local government planning and action in this area. It also highlights opportunities for councils to protect and improve the health and wellbeing of their communities through climate change action and builds on and showcases the significant work that councils are already delivering across Victoria.

The guidance provides examples of strategies that could be taken by councils across a number of theme areas, as well as case studies of strategies that have been implemented by Victorian councils. The theme areas include:

• council corporate and community activities
• communication, engagement and capacity building
• emergency management
• environmental health services, surveillance and monitoring
• built and natural environments
• healthy, sustainable and equitable food systems
• improving mental health and wellbeing
• preventing all forms of violence

It builds on the department's previous guidance published in 2020. It supplements the department's guidance on municipal public health and wellbeing planning and should be read in conjunction with such guidance.

Infographic requests

The guidance includes a number of infographics about climate change in Victoria, the impacts of climate change on health and climate change and health co-benefits. To request JPEG or PNG files of these for use in presentations, newsletters, plans and reports, email the Climate and Health Team, Climate.PublicHealth@health.vic.gov.au.

Previous guidance

Supplementary resources

This report highlights local data on Victorian attitudes, behaviours and actions relating to climate change and health from Sustainability Victoria's State of Sustainability Reports 2023, 2024 and 2025.

This report was developed in collaboration with Sustainability Victoria. It supplements Tackling climate change and its impacts on health through municipal public health and wellbeing: Guidance for local government 2024.