Climate Change Programs

• Climate Change and the Enhanced Greenhouse Effect
• International Response
• Australia's Response
• Victoria's Response
• Banyule's Response
• Local Climate Change Action Groups
• Further Information

Climate Change and the Enhanced Greenhouse Effect

The greenhouse effect is actually a natural occurrence. The cycle occurs when greenhouse gases in the atmosphere trap radiant heat from the sun. This heat warms the earth’s surface to a temperature that is habitable for life on earth.

In the past 200 years since industrialisation, human activities such as land clearing and burning of fossil fuels for transport and industry, have caused the levels of greenhouse gases to increase. A higher concentration of greenhouse gases means more heat is being trapped, raising the earth’s surface temperature (about 0.6^O since 1860) and causing the enhanced greenhouse effect or global warming.

The enhanced greenhouse effect is leading to changes in global and regional climatic patterns, which produce devastating impact on natural ecosystems, agricultural productivity, spread of disease and destruction of human infrastructure.

The main greenhouse gases are:

Carbon Dioxide (CO₂)
Carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere by burning fossil fuels such as oil, natural gas and coal for energy, land clearing and burning vegetation. CO₂ is the biggest contributor to the greenhouse effect and stays in the atmosphere between 50 - 200 years.

Water Vapour
Water vapour is the principle greenhouse gas but scientists believe human activities do little to vary its concentration in the atmosphere.

Methane (CH₄)
There is less methane in the atmosphere than CO₂, but methane is 21 times more powerful than CO₂ as a greenhouse gas as it indirectly affects water vapour and ozone. Methane forms when organic material decomposes in the absence of oxygen as it occurs in landfills, rice paddies and from cows and sheep and lasts for about 12 years in the earth’s atmosphere.

 Nitrous Oxide (N₂O)
Major sources of Nitrous Oxide include motor vehicles, fertilisers, burning vegetation and industrial processes. Nitrous Oxide persists in the atmosphere for over 100 years.

1. Carbon Dioxide
2. Methane
3. Nitrous Oxide
4. Hydrofluorocarbons – HFCs are CFCs with the chlorine removed. They have been introduced as a replacement to CFCs as they do not destroy the ozone layer
5. Perfluorocarbons – a by-product of aluminium smelting but a very powerful greenhouse gas as they have an atmospheric lifetime of thousands of years
6. Sulfur Hexafluoride – used as an insulator in the electricity industry. It has a global warming potential 23,900 times that of CO₂!

International Response

Growing international concern over climate change and the enhanced greenhouse effect saw the establishment of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in 1988. The IPCC is the international body responsible for providing advice on climate change. Since 1990 the IPCC has released three assessment reports on the state of global warming. The latest findings from the IPCC can be found at http://www.ipcc.ch/

The first Assessment Report released in 1990 lead to the development of The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (FCCC), which was adopted in 1992 and entered into force in 1994. It provides the international policy framework for addressing climate change.

Countries who sign the Convention are required to produce a national inventory on greenhouse gas emissions and their reduction. They also agree to report on national strategies, and to cooperate in developing new technologies and practices. Australia signed the FCCC in June 1992 at the Rio Earth Summit and ratified it in December 1992. Further information on the FCCC can be found at http://unfccc.int/ 

From the FCCC arose the Kyoto Protocol in December 1997. The Kyoto Protocol requires industrialised countries to collectively reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by at least 5% below 1990 levels by the period 2008 – 2012.

On 16 February 2005 the protocol was entered into force after at least 55 parties to the Convention ratified the agreement, which accounted in total for at least 55% of the total carbon dioxide emissions of 1990. Currently 176 parties have ratified, including developed countries accounting for 63.7% of CO₂ emissions.

The latest information on the Kyoto protocol can be found at: http://unfccc.int/essential_background/convention/status_of_ratification/items/2631.php

Australia's Response

Although Australia only contributes just over 1% of global greenhouse gas emissions, we have one of the highest levels of greenhouse gas emissions per capita in the world due to a high reliance on fossil fuels for energy, extensive land clearing, high transport use and energy intensive industries and export products.

The National Greenhouse Strategy (NGS) was released in November 1998 and forms the strategic basis for all Commonwealth, State and Territory government responses to climate change.

The NGS can be viewed at http://ngs.greenhouse.gov.au/ 

Australia has produced an annual inventory of national greenhouse gas emissions since 1990 as part of its commitment under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

The 2000 National Greenhouse Inventory, released in August 2002, can be found at http://www.greenhouse.vic.gov.au 

On 3 December 2007,  Australia became the 174^th country to sign the Kyoto Protocol.  Kazakhstan and the United States are the only UNFCCC members who have actively signed the agreement but have not yet ratified. The Kyoto protocol agreement relevant to Australia states that when ratified our nation’s emissions are allowed to increase to 8% above 1990 levels.

Victoria's Response

In June 2002 the Victorian Government released the Victorian Greenhouse Strategy.

The strategy outlines 59 actions that will reduce energy consumption within the Victorian Government’s operations and those produced from industry, transport, local government and households in Victoria.

The VGS can be viewed at http://www.greenhouse.vic.gov.au/

The latest data concerning Victoria’s greenhouse gas emissions from 2005 indicated that our contribution to the nation’s emission levels was 121.9 mt CO₂^-e (22% of the nations total), a 1.3% reduction from 2004.

More information on national and state emissions data an be viewed at: ttp://www.greenhouse.gov.au/inventory/stateinv/index.html

Banyule's Response

Council has responded to international and local pressure to reduce climate change in many ways including becoming a member of the Cities for Climate Protection^TM Program (CCP). CCP^TM is an international program which assists local governments and their communities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

CCP^TM is based on a 5-milestone framework. Council has already been successful in completing all five milestones including:

• Completed a base year inventory of Council and community emissions for 1996/97
• Set emissions reduction goals of:

- Reduce emission levels by 30% of Council’s 1996/67 levels by 2010
- Reduce emission levels by 20% of Council’s community emissions of 1996/67 levels by 2010

• Developed and adopted a Greenhouse Action Strategy (GAS);
• Implemented the GAS;
•  Monitored and reported on GAS implementation and emission levels for 2001/02.
  
  

Council has also completed the CCPTM Plus program which includes greenhouse gas auditing, re-evaluating local action plans and emissions reduction targets.
 

For more information regarding Council’s GAS click here.

Greenhouse Actions Programs in 2005/06

Some of the achievements that Council reached in relation to furthering Council’s sustainability in 2005- 2006 included:

• Saving 10,000 tonnes of community greenhouse gas emissions through the green waste collection system
• Sharing in external funding of $598,000 worth of projects across nine councils in the region
• Reducing Council’s own greenhouse gas emissions to 3% below 1996/97 levels
• Saving 2,700 tonnes of Council emissions over the last 3 years
• Accounting for greenhouse gas emissions from the Council’s waste and water sectors for the first time 
• Key current and future emissions abatement opportunities include upgrading streetlighting, building an energy efficient GPAC and ‘Greenpower’ purchasing for Council operations and the ‘Sustainable Homes’ and ‘Community power’ programs for the community. 

Other Projects
In October 2001 Council became the first local government in Australia to take order of a Toyota Prius. The Prius is the flagship vehicle for Council’s greening of its vehicle fleet. Click here for further information on the Prius.

Local Climate Change Action Groups

Greenhouse Action in Nillumbik (GAIN)
This group was formed in 2007 as a result of the GAIN: Have Your Say workshops held by Nillumbik Shire Council.  For more information call 9719 7661.

WarrandyteCAN (Climate Action Now)
This group formed after an inspiring talk from fellow resident, Adrian Whitehead. Whitehead is behind the pioneering Beyond Zero Emissions group, which advocates a negative carbon economy. The principal objective of WarrandyteCAN is to communicate to our community the urgent need to take immediate action on climate change, to raise awareness and empower people to act to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions. For more information call 9844 1959.   http://www.zeroemissionnetwork.org.au/host-wcan

Yarra Valley Climate Action Group
Membership of the Yarra Valley Climate Action Group is open to any interested person.  The group believes it can play an important role in our community by helping to increase public awareness and understanding of climate change, and encouraging action by individuals, community, government, business and industry to lessen greenhouse emissions.  We hope to show ways we as individuals can use energy more efficiently, to encourage use of renewable forms of energy such as solar and wind, and to encourage forest and tree plantations to help absorb carbon dioxide.  We hope, on behalf of our community, along with groups with similar aims, to make contact with industry and government to gain their support for these aims. For more information, please contact Moira Jeffreys on 5774 7569 or email wamj@bigpond.com

Further Information