Carbon mitigation actions by Queensland councils

Carbon mitigation actions by Queensland councils

As part of the broader national response to global warming, local government in Queensland faces the challenge of implementing policy, organisational and technical initiatives to mitigate its carbon emissions. In Australia, this includes compliance with greenhouse gas emissions thresholds of 25,000tCO2-e under the federal government’s National Greenhouse Energy Reporting (NGER) Act 2007 and Clean Energy Act 2011. The implementation of a federal carbon tax from 1 July 2012 will also increase the cost of electricity, fuel and materials for councils. This paper reviews carbon mitigation measures implemented by Queensland councils (n=32) at the City, Regional and Shire level, based on a climate change survey completed in 2012. The survey was based on carbon mitigation actions recommended in the Cities for Climate Protection (CCP) program, and a desktop review of climate change plans and carbon actions listed on Queensland council websites. The results from this survey of Queensland councils highlights their climate change responses, carbon mitigation measures, carbon emissions reporting, motives for emissions reduction, and internal or external barriers to implementing carbon mitigation actions. This survey found metropolitan, larger and/or coastal councils are more ‘carbon-ready’ (i.e. consolidating or mainstreaming carbon actions) than smaller, inland, rural Queensland councils (i.e. latent or emerging actions) (LGAQ, 2009). Climate change plans and associated carbon actions are mainly implemented by larger councils (>30,000 resident population). Carbon mitigation actions correlated with institutional size and capacity, coastal location, and assessment of carbon emissions from council operations. In this study, Queensland councils were largely minimalistic or opportunistic in climate change mitigation while a few progressively integrated low carbon actions in council operations. The paper identifies key challenges for local government in moving to a low carbon future.

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