Page 266 - Week 01 - Thursday, 14 February 2019
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By 2020 the transport sector will be the ACT’s largest producer of greenhouse gas emissions, accounting for approximately 62 per cent of overall emissions. The latest greenhouse gas inventory shows that, in the past year, transport emissions have continued their upward trend. The increase was 26 kilotonnes carbon dioxide equivalent, or 2.3 per cent, and is similar to the previous year. Transport emissions currently account for 34 per cent of total ACT emissions.
With the majority of transport emissions coming from private car travel, cars will soon become Canberra’s single biggest producer of greenhouse gas emissions. It is essential that we improve the movement of people around our city, especially by increasing public transport and active travel, and reducing reliance on private car travel.
As stage 1 of the light rail commences operation in early 2019, it will provide a high quality public transport option in a busy and growing part of Canberra, and it will soon do so using 100 per cent renewable electricity. The electrification of all transport, including private cars and the public bus fleet, will also play an important part in reducing transport emissions in the future.
The ACT government continues to work towards increasing the uptake of electric vehicles and e-bikes through our transition to zero emissions vehicles action plan. Work continues on transitioning to a zero emission government vehicle fleet, installing new charging infrastructure and providing incentives for consumers to purchase zero emission vehicles. And ACT government public servants now have the ability to salary sacrifice an e-bike.
By 2020 gas is expected to account for 21 per cent of the ACT’s total emissions. The latest inventory report reveals that emissions from natural gas decreased by four per cent on the previous year. This comes after a large increase in gas usage in the 2016-17 reporting period.
Residential customers account for well over half of total consumption. This highlights the need to make efforts to reduce gas usage across the territory, but especially in the residential sector. There are good opportunities for this such as, for example, through the expanded use of highly efficient electrical appliances as an alternative to gas appliances. To this end the ACT government, through the energy efficiency improvement scheme, is providing rebates of up to $2,500 to replace gas heating and hot-water systems with more efficient electric systems.
The waste sector produces emissions through wastewater treatment and the release of landfill gas. Any organic material disposed of in landfill, such as garden waste or food waste, results in greenhouse gas emissions due to their breakdown in an oxygen-free environment. Waste emissions currently account for two per cent of the ACT’s greenhouse gas inventory but, by 2020, after the removal of electricity emissions, they are expected to account for about six per cent of our total emissions. Emissions from solid waste disposal in 2017-18 were 31 per cent lower than in 2016-17. The reduction was caused by a 26 per cent increase in the volume of landfill gas captured and burnt at the Mugga Lane and Belconnen landfill gas generators. To reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the future, we will need to explore ways to divert
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