The council on Tuesday adopted a 12-18 month plan in response to its vote to declare a climate emergency in October.

The plan could see the introduction of charging stations for electric cars, switching of some council cars to hybrids or electric, solar lighting upgrades, water-saving devices installed and expansion of the carbon offset program to $40,000.

The ideas would now be considered as part of the council's budget process.

Cr Jim Doukas was the only councillor not to support the motion and said that while council should put in solar panels it "wasn't going to save the world".

"This term emergency bewilders me," he said.

He said he would like to see the issue of water included the council's climate emergency response.

"I mean serious water. Dams," he said.

He asked why the council don't build more dams on the side of the road when doing roadworks so fire trucks and helicopters had access to more water.

Cr Doukas said that with all the roadside vegetation, the council should be looking at planting trees that are hard to burn.

"Let's plant the roadside out and make them some type of a firebreak so that when there is a fire, it mightn't stop it but by gee it will slow it down," he said.

"Let's do some real big things that don't cost a lot.

"That's what I would like to see in here. Worrying about electric charging points and things like that and it comes under the heading emergency, I mean seriously let's do something constructive."

Cr Jill Parker said the council's response had been under discussion for months and the issue of water was not raised at workshops.

She said the motion did not preclude the council doing more in the future.

"If we start with the little things you'd might be surprised how far they will go," she said.

Cr Jordan Lockett said councillors had months to bring up ideas on climate change, so to speak against the motion and at the last minute saying it could have had a dam included in it was "quite frustrating".

Cr Lockett said he hoped state and federal governments "pulled their fingers out, declare a climate emergency and do the change that we all need to do".

He said the very psyche of the Moyne Shire had changed in relation to the climate and there was a culture shift within the organisation right down to the plastic wrap for catering.

Cr Mick Wolfe said the motion was just the first stage and a "move in the right direction".

Landcare's Lisette Mill addressed the council at the meeting to thank the council for considering to expand its carbon offset program.

She said that among Landcare's projects in the shire up to 250 volunteers had planted 400,000 trees along the old railway line from Koroit to Minhamite.

The project had been funded by $120,000 from VicTrack and grants worth another $210,000.

Cr Jim Doukas responded by saying he was no fan of native trees because he saw how they burn.

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