Page 3357 - Week 11 - Thursday, 11 November 2021
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Construction on the raising of London Circuit will commence shortly, and minimising emissions is a high priority of the ACT government. The project is minimising the requirement for new materials, as far as is practical, through the re-use and recycling of materials from demolition clearing and grubbing activities. Works including earthworks have been programmed in a way that minimises double-handling of materials. The running of diesel or petrol generators and engines will be kept to a minimum.
It is also important to remember that the delivery of major infrastructure projects like light rail will help to make Canberra a more sustainable city in the decades ahead. Building stage 2 to Woden will provide a more convenient and reliable transport option for people on the south side, helping to prevent future traffic gridlock and cutting transport emissions for a cleaner environment. Emissions for transport currently account for 60 per cent of the ACT’s greenhouse gas emissions, so we need to give all Canberrans a genuine, clean alternative to private cars as our city continues to grow.
We know that technology is rapidly changing in the green building sector, and imports like carbon neutral green cement may increasingly be available in the next five years. This report, tabled today, reaffirms this government’s approach to having lowered embodied emissions and provides useful recommendations for us to consider as we pursue and promote green innovation in the building and construction sector, both for government projects and across the wider market.
This report also highlights the importance of our work as a government in two other key areas. The ACT government is currently developing a proposal to include emissions reduction as an objective in the National Electricity Law, to help guide programs towards decarbonisation of the national electricity grid. Working with other jurisdictions to improve national frameworks is an important way to address emissions within and outside the ACT.
This report shows the important role food and agriculture play in reducing scope 3 emissions. To act on this, as well as to increase the resilience of our local agricultural systems to climate change, the ACT is embarking upon the development of a capital food and fibre strategy towards an eco-sustainable food and agricultural production system for the ACT. This will incorporate a regional drought resilience plan and will be delivered in the second half of 2022.
This report offers 12 recommendations which offer valuable guidance on options for continuing to lead the way to a zero emissions economy. The ACT is a small jurisdiction but we have shown that we can have a big impact. The recommendations include reporting scope 3 emissions every three years, setting scope 3 emission reduction targets, developing embodied emissions limits for government procurement, setting food waste reduction targets and increasing the re-use of construction and demolition materials. We will be considering these recommendations in detail over coming months and identifying how we can take the next steps to estimate and reduce our scope 3 emissions. Every step we take to reduce emissions is worthwhile and has
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