Page 3568 - Week 10 - Wednesday, 18 September 2019
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(b) forests and wood derived from them are a renewable source of energy, and preferable energy source when compared to fossil fuels;
(c) wood products in building and construction offer a pathway to achieving zero net emissions, particularly when compared to other building materials such as cement and steel;
(d) wood products sourced from within Australia have lower transport emissions, in comparison with imported construction materials;
(e) forests help clean up carbon emissions with wood products forming part of the carbon cycle; and
(f) forests have other co-benefits providing habitat for flora and fauna and recreational and other opportunities;
(2) congratulates the ACT Government for replanting the Ingledene Forest and thereby enhancing the local forestry industry, boosting conservation outcomes, providing new recreational areas for Canberrans as well as helping clean up the equivalent of 200 000 tonnes of carbon dioxide over the next 25Â years; and
(3) calls on the ACT Government to:
(a) investigate the use of wood and other sustainable products in government infrastructure projects; and
(b) work with the building and construction industry to promote the use of Australian Forestry products.
This has been a big week for the development of the ACT government’s environment policy. Adapting to climate change and moving to a zero net emissions society and economy is the greatest task facing humanity and we should all be proud that the people of Canberra are further advanced in the task than any other jurisdiction in the country.
Whilst fringe elements continue to want to have an argument about whether climate change is real, we are getting on with the task of dealing with the consequences. Whilst others phrase their arguments around who does or does not believe in climate change, this government is ensuring that the way it changes our city is fair and that the health, wellbeing, and prosperity of Canberrans are improved as a consequence.
This is a big, complicated set of policy issues. Climate change affects every single aspect of human existence: what we eat, how we heat and cool our houses and workplaces, how we move around, how we communicate, and the built environment, the topic of my motion today. What we need more of in this conversation is detailed work on how we develop our city, our territory, to ensure future generations can live happy, healthy, prosperous lives.
In developing our policy we need to not just go after the low hanging fruit, things like moving our electricity supply away from carbon-intensive sources such as coal and improving the efficiency of our transport systems through better provision of public transport and the use of electric vehicles. These are tasks the ACT government is well advanced in delivering. The next steps are in reducing the carbon intensity of consumer goods, initiatives like the reusable coffee cup trial.
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