Weathering the Change – ACT Climate Change Strategy

This ACT Government has made a commitment to sustainability to ensure that future generations have a quality of life that equals or surpasses our own. Meeting the climate change challenge is part of that commitment. Climate change issues will affect all of us.

The ACT has already taken action to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions, but in the last ten years our knowledge in relation to climate change has increased enormously.  Debate around greenhouse issues has shifted internationally to a focus on a more holistic climate change response.  We need to focus not only on what actions we can take to reduce and abate our emissions but also on how we, as a community, will adapt to the climate change that is already occuring.

The ACT Climate Change Strategy provides an overview of climate change science, the predicted impacts on the ACT and the Government’s vision and direction for responding to climate change.  It has evolved from a discussion paper released in March 2006, to which many submissions from the public, business and community groups were received.  It replaces the ACT Greenhouse Strategy 2000. and complements People, Place, Prosperity and the Think Water, Act Water Strategy that addresses long term Territory water needs. 

Weathering the Change – The ACT Climate Change Strategy 2007-2025

The Strategy (l PDF 2,322Kb) sets out the approaches the Government will pursue between now and 2025 to support the broader community response to climate change.  Detailed Action Plans will be developed at regular intervals during the life of the Strategy.  In this way, the Strategy will remain responsive to new knowledge and technological developments in Australia and internationally, and can be adjusted accordingly.

ACT Target

A reduction of 60% of 2000 levels by 2050.

ACT Milestone

To limit 2025 greenhouse gas emissions to 2000 levels.

Objectives

The Strategy and subsequent Action Plans address four objectives:

• to be smarter in how we use resources; 

• to design and plan our city to be more sustainable;
• to build our capacity to adapt to and manage the changes to climate that we are now beginning to face, and possible future changes; and
• to improve our understanding of climate change, its causes and effects, and how we need to respond.

Success will require action by everyone: governments, businesses, community groups, households and individuals. Progress must be made in collaboration with adjacent regions in south eastern Australia, with other State and Territory governments, with the Commonwealth, and with other countries.

Action Plan 1 – 2007 - 2011

The ACT Government is serious about meeting the challenge of climate change, but recognises that by itself it cannot solve the problem.  The first Action Plan ( PDF 1,766Kb) of the Climate Change Strategy sets out 43 separate action items, to be delivered between now and 2011, that meet the four key objectives.

 Summary of Climate Change Actions

1. Being Smarter in Our Use of Resources

• Develop an Energy Policy
• Pursue Carbon Neutrality in Government Buildings
• Establish a $1million Energy Efficiency Fund for ACT Government Agencies.
• Develop and Implement a Park-and-Ride Strategy
• Legislate for Green Power to be offered to all new electricity customers.
• Implement a renewable energy target (RET) in line with the NSWRET
• Offer stamp duty concessions for low emissions vehicles
• Implement energy efficiency improvements in government housing
• Provide a solar hot water rebate
• Pursue national emissions trading and reporting
• Assist schools become carbon neutral
• Undertake ACTION CNG Bus Fleet replacement
• Undertake energy efficient street light replacement
• Introduce free bus travel for bicycle riders

2. Designing and Planning our City to be more Sustainable

• Implement Public Transport Improvements
• Develop Network and Service Design Plans for buses
• Investigate Travelling to Work Options
• Introduce a Feed-in Tariff for renewable micro generation
• Pursue Energy Efficiency Rating for all Buildings
• Investigate Mandatory Solar Hot Water for new houses
• Develop integrated land use and transport planning
• Include environmentally sustainable design features in all new public schools
• Increase the new home owner’s entitlement to trees and shrubs
• Pursue Triple Bottom Line Tendering for land release
• Pursue an Urban Forest Replacement  Program
• Establish East Lake as a showcase urban development

3. Adapting to Current and Future Climate Change

• Develop a Grant Program for Community Groups
• Prepare Government Agency Vulnerability Assessments
• Undertake a climate change social impact analysis
• Prepare an ACT and Region Vulnerability Assessment
• Support the National Adaptation Framework
• Assess Climate Change Impacts on our Urban Areas
• Protect areas of high conservation value
• Develop an Ecosystem Connectivity Map
• Prepare a Sphagnum Bog Mapping and Recovery Plan
• Plant One Million New Trees

4. Improving our Understanding of Climate Change

• Undertake a Community Education Program

• Implement Sustainability in Schools

• Showcase Renewable and Energy Efficiency Technologies

• Facilitate a business roundtable on Climate Change

• Partner with key Institutions to Encourage Research

• Develop Fuel Sale Data Legislation for Emissions Monitoring

• Undertake a Carbon Sequestration Audit