Page 1556 - Week 06 - Tuesday, 17 May 1994
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Since the renewable energy report was tabled in November 1992 there has been a high level of government activity in the areas of energy management and greenhouse gas response strategies. Various actions taken at the Commonwealth and ACT government levels have addressed the underlying intent of the report and, more specifically, the majority of its recommendations. The report on renewable energy recognised the role of the Commonwealth Government in developing strategies for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. The report recommended that the ACT Government make recommendations to the Australian and New Zealand Minerals and Energy Council on a series of measures to meet Toronto targets for the reduction of carbon dioxide levels. The Toronto targets called for the reduction of greenhouse gases to 80 per cent of 1988 levels by the year 2005.
The subsequent Rio de Janeiro environment conference in June 1992 proposed a UN framework on climate change. The framework convention on climate change came into force in March 1994. The convention requires parties to compile national inventories of greenhouse gas emissions. The ACT Government is committed to this process through its membership of the National Greenhouse Gas Inventory Committee and the Non-Transport Emissions Working Group. The National Greenhouse Gas Inventory Committee reviews proposals for research into greenhouse gas emissions and reviews draft workbooks for calculating greenhouse gas emissions. A research proposal from CSIRO to conduct measurement of methane emissions from ACT landfills has recently been endorsed by the committee. The ACT Government recognises the importance of this project in the development of the greenhouse gas inventory for the ACT.
The ACT Government has also provided input to the national summary report on the national greenhouse response strategy. The separate ACT report released on 1 March 1994 outlined measures being undertaken in the area of energy demand management and pollution control to reduce carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions. The greenhouse gas measures identified by the standing committee in their report have been addressed in other forums besides the Australian and New Zealand Minerals and Energy Council. The level of activity on greenhouse gas reduction has met the intent of the committee's report and the response addresses those measures, which have largely been overtaken by events.
The standing committee recommended that the ACT Government include energy conservation, renewable energy and alternative energy studies in school curriculums. When this report was presented in the Assembly, this matter attracted some criticism from the Opposition, in particular Mr Humphries, in regard to the role of the Government in prescribing the content of school curricula. The committee had made this recommendation on the basis of a growing interest by secondary and college educators in renewable and alternative energy issues. The Department of Education and Training has incorporated energy studies as part of environmental studies at primary and secondary school levels. In addition, ACT Electricity and Water has developed an energy and water conservation package for use in many primary schools. The Department of the Environment, Land and Planning has developed an ecoschools kit, which is currently being trialled at Theodore Primary School. This kit includes material on energy conservation.
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