Page 2383 - Week 06 - Thursday, 10 May 2012
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
Further complicating the plan’s evaluation was the inability to evaluate the level of overall abatement it delivered. This was in part due to the aforementioned lack of measurable actions but also the time lag currently inherent in collating the ACT’s annual greenhouse gas inventory. Consequently, we currently have data only for half of the plan’s implementation period and due to the lack of measurable actions cannot confidently associate any positive trends with the plan itself.
That said, we can conclude that little to no abatement has been delivered under action plan 1. Emissions in the ACT have grown by 31.7 per cent since 1990. Indeed, the latest state of the environment report indicates that emissions grew by seven per cent from 2005-09. Whilst emissions dropped by 2.9 per cent in the first year of the plan, they continued to grow by 1.3 per cent in 2008-09. The state of the environment’s findings that the ACT’s per capita carbon footprint and urban footprint both grew rapidly suggests this emissions growth is likely to have continued into the second half of action plan 1. In fact our calculations revealed that the trajectory set by action plan 1 would actually have resulted in a net increase in emissions by 2020.
The Greens believe that the bedrock of a rigorous climate strategy is measurable abatement targets and goals. Due to the limitations in the design of action plan 1 and the weaknesses identified in its delivery, which I will elaborate upon later, we did have a score of 48 per cent that was arrived at for the government’s overall performance.
We hope that this assessment will provide the government with food for thought as it finalises action plan 2. As their own advice from Pitt & Sherry pointed out in July of last year, it is still technically feasible to achieve a 40 per cent reduction within the next eight years. However, to do so the measures set out in action plan 2 must be highly integrated, specific, measurable and ambitious.
I would now like to turn to the substance of the report card. To summarise our analysis of every action point would take too long. Therefore, I have selected a cross-section of illustrative points, both positive and negative, from each of the plan’s four categories. First of all, I turn to category 1, which is being smarter in our use of resources.
One of the positive examples from this section was the commitment to develop a park-and-ride strategy. The government has now completed feasibility and concept design studies and a number of new sites, including at Mawson and EPIC, have been constructed in fulfilment of the Labor-Greens parliamentary agreement. It is promising to see that further sites are currently in planning. The Greens look forward to further promotional work being undertaken to ensure this beneficial amenity is made widely known to the ACT community.
A disappointing example from this category was the goal to pursue carbon neutrality in government buildings. This action is behind schedule and an October 2010 audit of government agencies’ environmental performance conducted by the sustainability and environmental commissioner found that only one agency had a dedicated resource management plan for achieving carbon neutrality.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video