40%Aug 26, 2010
A momentous day for Canberra
While uncertainty is still raging up on the hill over who will form a national government, our own local government has today taken an immense and important step that will blaze like a shining beacon to the rest of our nation. Today, Simon Corbell, our local minister for Environment and Climate Change, introduced to the legislative assembly a 40 percent target for CO2 emissions reduction by 2020!
This is a huge win for all the people of Canberra who worked so hard to bring this about. But more than that, it is a win for the children of Canberra. From today on, they can look forward to living on a healthier planet in a vibrant city reaping the benefits of a green economy. They can look forward to being able to bring their own children up in a city that lead the way in tackling the great moral challenge of our time.
Today the people of Canberra can hold their heads up high and know that we are blazing a trail for the rest of our vast and wonderful nation to follow.
Today is indeed a day to love our city, to love our future and to love 40 percent less CO2.
Congratulations to the Government and all members of the Assembly for taking this HUGE and SENSIBLE step forward. And well done also to the advocates and lobbyists who pressed so hard for this to happen. It truly is a proud day for Canberrans, to think we have stepped up to the plate nationally on the critical need to urgently and firmly address the effects climate change.
Good on you guys!! Fantastic. I have sent the following to the Canberra Times:
Bravo the ACT Government for its Climate Change and Greenhouse Gas Reduction Bill 2010 that seeks to reduce emissions by 40 per cent by 2020 and 80 per cent by 2050! It is a welcome antidote to Federal Labor’s failure to act on the issue of climate change. Well done.
By whatever means they chose to reduce emissions, however, it will be significantly harder if the Government persists in pushing population growth to half a million. Total emissions will always be average per capita multiplied by the number of people. The more people, the more per capita levels will have to drop. Adding another 30 per cent to the population will mean a proportional cut in emissions just to stay where we are.
Let us hope ACT’s neighbours like Queanbeyan and Yass will adopt similar targets so there can be a regional approach to both emissions and population.
Jenny Goldie
All Very Well, but What Renewables Exactly & When?
I see that a rough-target has been set, but no specific Renewable energy form has been ‘set’/decided upon as being ‘the best econometrically-speaking for this geographic location’ and proximity to interstate powerlines, such that locally-made energy can be most efficiently ‘fed into’ the national Grid; so, why aren’t solar and wind energy already the dominant energy-use form in the ACT? Why are’nt they mentioned in the media release? The public, especially younger/next generations deserve an explanation; may commonsense and more commonsensical ‘alternatives’ prevail.! JAF
Awesome work!
To Joe – Simon Corbell seems particularly interested (given public statements this year) in expanding the existing renewable energy feed-in tariff. Also check out the ACT Govt’s draft sustainable energy policy: http://www.environment.act.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0006/174687/Draft_Sustainable_Energy_Policy_FINAL.pdf