Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, climate change and environmental sustainability are at the forefront of many global, national and local conversations.
Behind the array of carbon and climate jargon, key drivers for action are becoming more robust as the world experiences, by all indications, an increase in extreme weather events and pollution levels. International goals and agreements influence Australia’s targets across all levels of government and beyond. Global Sustainable Development Goals, the Paris Agreement and Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reporting all indicate the world needs to rethink and reset how we manage our resources, both natural and manmade.
The current Australian Government updated the country’s targets with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change by committing to reduce GHG emissions by 43 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030 and reaffirmed the commitment to reach net zero emissions by 2050. The Queensland State Government has recently announced the state’s new renewable energy target of 70 per cent by 2032 and 80 per cent by 2035. Brisbane 2032 is committed to delivering a climate positive Olympic and Paralympic Games, creating lasting benefits to the climate and community and accelerating the transition to zero net emissions.
From a local perspective, Noosa Council was ahead of its time when it adopted an Emissions Reduction Policy in May 2016. Council is now implementing its Zero Emissions Strategy. According to Council’s website, the strategy sets an ambitious target of zero net emissions for the organisation by 2026. When considering the emissions for the entire Noosa local government area, Zero Emissions Noosa, a not-for-profit community group of passionate volunteers, works with a diverse range of stakeholders in the region with the goal of net zero GHG emissions for the Noosa by 2026. The group supports the community by assisting them to ask the right questions when seeking energy solutions for their home or business. What is net zero? There is a confusing and broad range of terminology used to describe goals and commitments when it comes to GHG emissions. Some terms tend to be used interchangeably such as ‘carbon neutral’, ‘net zero’ and ‘climate neutral’. To clarify a few commonly used carbon jargon terms, national net zero experts, 100 per cent renewables, have created a carbon jargon page to shed light on the net zero terminology. The page states that net zero emissions are achieved when an organisation’s emissions of all GHGs are balanced by GHG removals, typically over one year.
The journey to net zero not only focuses on energy related GHG emissions abatement. Transport, value chain emissions and product strategies such as the Circular Economy principles have significant and critical impact. ZEN initiates cutting edge projects with major emissions reduction impact. It shares inspiring stories of those businesses and households already taking action to reduce their GHG emissions via its website, which shows a range of initiatives and successful case studies. The group is always looking to assist and collaborate with similarly driven local organisations and residents.
ZEN was recently part of the University of the Sunshine Coast’s Sustainability Week. UniSC offers a great example of what a local, practical, and successful energy efficiency project can look like. Partnering with global environmental organisation, Veolia, UniSC implemented a unique thermal energy storage and renewable energy solution reducing the campus’ grid electricity use by around 40 per cent. More information about the project can be found on the university’s website.
Media Contact: Angela Cooney 0401 026 559
