Category Archives: Net zero

The top 23 Australian universities for climate action commitments in 2021

February 24, 20212021, Carbon, Net zero, Renewable EnergyClimate Active, leadership, NCOS, net zero, targets, universitiesBarbara Albert

In addition to tracking ambitious commitments of local governments and communities, 100% Renewables has been tracking carbon and renewable energy commitments made by Australia’s public tertiary education sector since 2017.

Our first University-related blog post published actions and commitments of several universities that demonstrated sustainable energy leadership. We highlighted examples of leading clean energy and low carbon research, divestments from fossil fuels, and examples of universities’ targets and actions to reduce their carbon footprint.

In 2020, we published a blog post series on a number of sustainability leadership topics that are relevant to the tertiary education sector:

Commitments, actions and achievements of 14 leading universities across Australia
Universities with Green Star certified buildings
Universities that are signatories to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
Universities with fossil fuel divestment commitments

This blog post revisits ambitious climate action commitments made by universities and provides an updated list. Since our 2020 blog post series, nine more universities have committed to ambitious goals, and several others have increased their climate ambition. A total of 23 out of 40 universities have now committed to ambitious climate action targets.

Below are some examples:

Australian Catholic University – ACU previously had a target of a further 7% increase in its energy efficiency by 2020 but is now committed to 100% renewable electricity by July 2021. ACU’s purchase of 100% renewable electricity and their commitment to offsetting air travel emissions will reduce their annual greenhouse gas emissions by up to 90%, bringing ACU closer to its target of net zero emissions by 2030.
Western Sydney University – the University has a history of implementing energy efficiency and renewable energy initiatives across campuses but has now committed to 100% renewable energy by 2025 and a net-zero GHG emissions target by 2030.
Macquarie University – the University previously committed to making buildings more energy-efficient and delivering all energy with renewable energy, but has now completed a switch to 100% renewables for its North Ryde Campus as of 1 July 2020.
University of Sydney – the University previously committed to having solar-passive building design and a vision to achieve a carbon reduction across its investment portfolio. Now, they have committed to 100% renewables by 2025 and net zero emissions by 2030.
Charles Sturt University – the University is already carbon neutral, and had previously committed to onsite generation of renewable energy at all campuses but is now committed to 100% clean energy by 2030.
Griffith University – the University previously committed to carbon emissions reduction of at least 26% from 2010/11 levels by 2030 but has now committed to 45-50% emissions reduction against a 2010 baseline by 2030 and net zero emissions by 2050.

Out of the 23 universities in the ambitious commitments list, 11 have committed to 100% renewable energy on or before 2030, 11 have committed to carbon neutrality on or before 2030, and 7 have committed to net-zero GHG emissions targets on or before 2050.

Top 23 universities’ 100% renewable energy and carbon neutrality/net-zero commitments

Carbon neutral, net zero and 100% renewables commitments by Australian universities as at Feb 2021 (map) — Figure 1: Carbon neutral, net zero and 100% renewables commitments by Australian universities as at Feb 2021

Below is a list of 23 leading universities in Australia that have demonstrated sustainable energy leadership with their ambitious commitments to 100% renewable energy or carbon neutrality/net-zero emissions.

No	State	University	Renewable energy Commitment	Carbon neutrality commitment
1	ACT	Australian National University	Increase renewable energy generation by 50 percent by 2021	Decrease total carbon emissions by 30 per cent by 2021 Minimising the University's greenhouse gas emissions footprint through its own operations, in line with commitments to be greenhouse gas negative as soon as possible
2	NSW	Australian Catholic University	100% renewable electricity by July 2021	Net zero emissions by 2030
3	NSW	Charles Sturt University	100% clean energy by 2030	First university to obtain NCOS/Climate Active-accredited carbon neutral status in 2016
4	NSW	Macquarie University	University’s total greenhouse gas emissions cut by 92 per cent, with the campus’ electricity being sourced from Snowy Hydro from 1 July 2020	Aim of reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 40% by 2030
5	NSW	University of Newcastle	Deliver 100% renewable electricity across our Newcastle and Central Coast campuses from 1 January 2020	Achieve carbon neutrality by 2025
6	NSW	University of New South Wales	100% renewable electricity by 2020	Carbon neutrality on energy use by 2020
7	NSW	University of Sydney	100% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2025	Net zero emissions by 2030
8	NSW	Western Sydney University	100% renewable energy by 2025	Net-zero GHG emissions target by 2030
9	QLD	CQ University	50 percent of its energy for its Queensland campuses sourced from renewable solar from 2021	Aim at reducing carbon emissions
10	QLD	Griffith University		45-50% emissions reduction against a 2010 baseline by 2030 Net zero emissions by 2050
11	QLD	University of Queensland	100% renewable energy by 2020	Reduction in the university’s carbon footprint
12	QLD	University of the Sunshine Coast	Large-scale solar PV and thermal storage at Sippy Downs campus	Carbon neutral by 2025
13	QLD	University of Southern Queensland	Committed to achieve 100% renewable energy by installing a Sustainable Energy Solution	Carbon neutral by 2020
14	SA	Flinders University	Generate 30% of our energy needs from renewable sources	Achieve zero net emissions from electricity by 2021
15	SA	University of Adelaide	2MW of renewable energy installed by 2020 15% reduction in Energy intensity (GJ/GFA m2) by 2020 (2014 baseline)	Net zero emissions by 2050
16	TAS	University of Tasmania	Ensure efficacious energy management and contribute to the Tasmanian Government 2022 target to be a 100% renewable-energy-powered State	Carbon neutral certified since 2016
17	VIC	Deakin University	Sustainable microgrid systems in the community and their effective integration with existing energy networks	Carbon neutral by 2030
18	VIC	La Trobe University	Renewable energy project will increase our solar generation by 200%	Carbon neutral by 2029 and our regional campuses are set to become carbon neutral by 2022.
19	VIC	RMIT University	100% renewable energy from 2019	Carbon neutral by 2030
20	VIC	Monash University	100% renewable energy by 2030	Net zero carbon emissions from Australian campuses by 2030
21	VIC	Swinburne University of Technology	Commit to 100 per cent renewable energy procurement by 31 July 2020	Carbon neutral by 2025
22	VIC	University of Melbourne	Achieve zero net emissions from electricity by 2021	Achieve carbon neutrality before 2030 Reduce emissions by 20,000 tonnes of carbon per year by 2020 through on-campus energy projects
23	WA	University of Western Australia	100% renewable energy by 2025	Energy carbon neutral by 2025

100% Renewables has been pleased to support a number of these institutions with the development and delivery of their renewable energy and carbon abatement programs.

100% Renewables are experts in helping organisations develop their renewable energy strategies and action plans. If you need help with developing your climate action strategy, please contact Barbara or Patrick.

Feel free to use an excerpt of this blog on your own site, newsletter, blog, etc. Just send us a copy or link and include the following text at the end of the excerpt: “This content is reprinted from 100% Renewables Pty Ltd’s blog.

Net-zero goals – how to determine what’s in and what’s out? [with video]

November 20, 20202020, Carbon, Net zerocarbon accounting, carbon footprintBarbara Albert

Your business is considering a net-zero commitment or maybe you have just committed to net-zero emissions – so what’s next? An important part of making this commitment or of developing a net zero plan is to work out what this goal will encompass. To ensure that you are setting a credible target and to avoid reputational damage, you should be very clear in your communications what boundary your net-zero goal relates to.

A net-zero goal can relate to your operational emissions only, or it can extend to your supply chain. It could relate to your whole organisation, or only to part of it.

In this article, we will focus on whether you should include scope 3 emission sources.

You can also watch the video of my presentation on this topic here:

Should you include scope 3 emission sources?

If you are reporting under compliance-based schemes such as the NGER legislation in Australia, you will probably be aware of your scope 1 and scope 2 carbon footprint.

Please watch the video below for an explainer of scope 1, 2 and scope 3 emission sources.

However, there are many more emission sources that happen upstream and downstream in your supply chain. For many companies, more than 80% of their emissions occur outside of their own operations[1]. So, if you focus your net-zero efforts on your scope 1 and scope 2 carbon footprint only, you will neglect to address the many emission sources you have in your value chain.

Please watch the video below for an explainer of the 15 categories of scope 3 emissions.

Determining which scope 3 emission sources are relevant for you

Not all of the 15 categories of scope 3 emission sources will be relevant for you. The following is a good checklist, which we have adapted from the Greenhouse Gas Protocol:

Is the emission source large relative to your scope 1 and scope 2 emissions?
Does the emission source contribute to your greenhouse gas risk exposure?
Do key stakeholders such as customers or investors deem the emission source critical?
Could you reduce the associated emissions or at least influence emission reduction?

Steps you could take to determine what’s in and out of your scope

The following is a list of suggestions for how you could determine what’s in and out of your net-zero goal:

Have a meeting with key organisational stakeholders to workshop all your emission sources
Discuss whether these emission sources are relevant for your organisation as per the above checklist
If the emission source is relevant, you could consider including it in your net-zero goal

How you could workshop your emission sources

To ensure that no significant scope 3 emissions sources are lost, we recommend that you go through all 15 categories. Here is how we do it at 100% Renewables:

We usually start by showing emissions sources associated with your organisation’s activities. In most cases, this consists of scope 1 and scope 2 emission sources such as the burning of fossil fuel onsite, or the consumption of electricity. Where you operate air conditioning or refrigeration equipment, fugitive emissions from hydrofluorocarbons should also be taken into account.

Figure 1 – Scope 1 and scope 2 emissions sources

Then, we show you upstream and downstream emissions in your value chain, such as shown below.

Figure 2 – Full value chain emissions sources

Usually, category 1 ‘Purchased goods and services’ is a large emissions source – just ask your Finance department for a General Ledger extract of your expenses and you’ll see what we mean.

It is considered best practice to include upstream fuel and energy, and you should assess whether emissions from outsourced transportation and distribution, such as couriers are relevant to you. Every organisation is generating waste, so that should be included as well. Business travel encompasses activities such as air travel and accommodation. Staff commuting is also an important emissions source, particularly if people mostly use cars to get to your place of work.

Where your products generate emissions when they are being used (say you were selling vacuum cleaners), then you should consider the relevance of this emission source as well. If you have investments in joint ventures, subsidiaries or similar that are not accounted for under scope 1 and 2, you could consider also including them in your scope 3 carbon footprint.

[1] * State of Green Business 2013, GreenBiz

If you need help with your net-zero goal, defining the scope or planning to reach net-zero, please contact Barbara or Patrick.

Net-zero case study: Canada Bay Council and community emissions pathway

October 26, 20202020, Net zero, Renewable Energy100% Renewable Energy, behind the meter, case study, councils, customer success stories, energy efficiency, leadership, net zero, onsite solar, PPA, renewable energy, Sustainability strategy, targetsRasheem Saini

100% Renewables would like to congratulate the City of Canada Bay Council, who has committed to net-zero emissions, on winning the Local Government NSW’s (LGNSW) Excellence in the Environment Awards’ Local Sustainability Award.

100% Renewables is proud to have developed two studies which informed the City’s Emissions Reduction Action Plan (ERP), specifically:

Emissions pathway study – Council operations
Emissions pathway study – Community

How Council developed its Net-Zero Emissions Reduction Plan

Canada Bay Council tasked 100% Renewables with the development of two technical studies to understand how emissions can be reduced for both Council operations and the community.

The technical studies of the ERP drew on extensive analysis of Council’s emissions profile, population and urban density projections, renewable energy trends, stakeholder engagement, as well as an assessment and prioritisation of savings opportunities.

As part of this project, a community survey was run, and two workshops were held to gauge the community’s perspective on what Council and the community should prioritise with regards to climate change and reducing emissions. We also performed site visits across Council’s facilities and ran workshops with Council staff and the Environmental Advisory Committee to get input into the development of the two studies.

Target-setting approach

Council was committed to setting climate action targets which considered Australia’s global emission reduction obligations, goals set by other councils in NSW, as well as input from the community and Council staff. The ERP sets out the following ambitious, but achievable carbon reduction and renewable energy goals.

Corporate target: Net-zero emissions from Council operations by 2030
Community target: Net-zero emissions from the City of Canada Bay community by 2050

The pathway to net-zero for Councils operations

The pathway to net-zero emissions for Council’s operations is supported by 62 cost-effective actions that Council can take to reduce its corporate emissions, which include:

Continued energy efficiency upgrades to buildings and sporting fields, including fuel switching
Street lighting upgrades to LED technology
Increasing the amount of energy generated from onsite solar PV systems
Adjusting practices, basic controls and O&M procedures to reduce energy waste such as high night-time demand
Fleet emissions reduction from hybrid vehicles, and in future potentially electric vehicles
Adopting sustainable procurement policies for all capital works and purchases of energy-using equipment
Increasing the amount of renewable energy sourced via power purchase agreements (PPA)

The pathway to reducing Council’s corporate emissions to net-zero is illustrated in Figure 1.

Pathway to net zero by 2030 for Canada Bay Council’s operations — Figure 1: Pathway to net-zero by 2030 for Canada Bay Council’s operations

The pathway to net-zero for community emissions

Alongside the target for Councils operations, a target of net-zero emissions by 2050 for the community was set by consulting the community. Council will assist the community in achieving its target by

Leading by example
Empowering the community through initiatives and programs about buying renewable energy and energy efficiency
Supporting local community groups and schools to install solar PV systems
Advocating for sustainable transport and engagement around waste initiatives

These initiatives and programs were quantified and broken down into 33 discreet actions to reduce emissions to net-zero, as illustrated in Figure 2.

Figure 2: Pathway to net-zero emissions by 2050 for the Canada Bay community

Canada Bay’s success in reducing carbon emissions

The City has a long history of emission reduction and climate change adaptation programs. Some of these initiatives are listed below:

Greenhouse Action Plan 2014, which highlighted 70 actions that Council could invest in to reduce emissions. The plan also suggested targets such as replacing traditional energy supply with alternative renewable sourced by 2020.
Community Energy Efficiency Program (CEEP) 2014 saw Council invest in major energy efficiency upgrades across four of Councils largest energy consuming sites. Collective outcomes after the completion of the CEEP saw energy use and carbon emissions decrease by almost 32%, and energy costs reduce by almost 25%.
Small sites LED upgrade saw LEDs replacing existing lighting across six sites resulting in a combined energy reduction of 20%.
Installation of 134 kW of solar PV at Concord Library, City Services Depot and the Civic Centre
Implementation of LED lighting at several sporting fields as part of refurbishment and new field activation works
In October 2018 Council committed to purchasing 20% of its total electricity consumption from the Moree Solar Farm for 11.5 years commencing 1 July 2019
Council is participating in the SSROC Residential Road Street Light LED Replacement Program in partnership with Ausgrid. The current spot replacement program will be augmented by an accelerated bulk upgrade program in the short term.
Offsetting of emissions from major Council events such as Ferragosto and Concord Carnival

In the Canada Bay community, there has also been a significant increase in emissions reduction by residents installing solar panels on houses and businesses. At the time of development of the ERP, less than 10% of dwellings in the Canada Bay LGA had solar installed, with the total capacity being 8,490 kW as of September 2019. A year later, the solar capacity had improved significantly to 12,321 kW, which is a 45% increase.

Canada Bay Council is one among many leading councils showing that achieving ambitious renewable energy and carbon reduction goals is both feasible and cost-effective. 100% Renewables is proud to have played a role in helping this leader through the development of their Emissions Reduction Plan. We look forward to Canada Bay Council’s continued success in reaching its carbon and renewable energy targets in the coming years.

Net-Zero Case study “Canada Bay Council and Community – Emissions pathway”
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100% Renewables are experts in helping organisations develop their climate action strategies, and supporting the implementation and achievement of ambitious targets. If you need help to develop your Climate Action Strategy, please contact Barbara or Patrick.

Feel free to use an excerpt of this blog on your own site, newsletter, blog, etc. Just send us a copy or link and include the following text at the end of the excerpt: “This content is reprinted from 100% Renewables Pty Ltd’s blog.

Bridging the ambition gap [with video]

October 12, 20202020, Carbon, Net zero, Presentationscarbon footprint, carbon management, carbon neutral, Sustainability strategy, targetsBarbara Albert

This blog post is following on from various previous articles. The first is ‘Science-based targets in a nutshell’, the second is ‘Ambitious commitments by universities’, and the third is ‘Ambitious commitments by state and local governments’ in Australia. While it is great to see so many ambitious commitments by climate change leaders, more businesses need to follow this lead and help bridge the emissions gap and act on climate change.

Despite the increased focus on climate change in the last few years and the milestone Paris Agreement, global greenhouse gas emissions have not reduced, and the emissions gap between where we should be and where we are is larger than ever.

As you can see figure 1 below, which is being updated regularly by Climate Action Tracker, without additional efforts, human-caused carbon emissions may increase to over 100 billion tonnes annually by 2100, which is double current global emissions.

2100 Warming Projections, Climate Action Tracker - Sep 2020 update — Figure 1: 2100 Warming Projections, Climate Action Tracker – Sep 2020 update

You can see a simpler version of this graphic in figure 2. The main driver of long-term warming is the total cumulative emissions of greenhouse gases over time. In the past decades, greenhouse gas emissions have been increasing.

Figure 2: Global warming projections, 100% Renewables

Due to all historical and current carbon emissions, global temperatures have already risen by about 1°C from pre-industrial levels.

Continuing with business-as-usual could result in a temperature increase of over 4°C.

If all countries achieved their Paris Agreement targets, this could limit warming to roughly 3°C.

However, to limit warming to 1.5°C, current Paris pledges made by countries are not enough.

Carbon emissions need to start to decline rapidly in the near future and reach net-zero by mid-century if we are to have a chance of keeping warming to 1.5°C.

To bridge this ambition gap, not only do governments need to act, so do businesses and communities. To keep temperature increase within safe levels, you need to track along the 1.5-degree line, and to do that, you should set yourself carbon reduction goals in line with science. For every one year of failed action, the window to net-zero is reduced by two years.

It’s time to take a stand on a global stage and act on climate change. So what are three steps you can take?

Set a target in line with science
Develop a climate action plan
Reduce emissions in your business and your value chain

I recorded a 3-min video of a presentation on this topic I recently held for one of our clients, which you can watch here:

100% Renewables are experts in helping organisations develop their climate change strategies and action plans, and supporting the implementation and achievement of ambitious targets. If you need help to develop your Climate Change Strategy, please contact Barbara or Patrick.

Ambitious climate action commitments by states, local governments and communities – Sep 2020 [with video]

September 22, 20202020, Carbon, Net zero, Renewable Energy100% Renewable Energy, councils, leadership, net zero, targetsBarbara Albert

Science tells us that we need to reach net-zero emissions by midcentury to limit global warming to 1.5°C and to reduce the destructive impacts of climate change on human society and nature. In Australia, more and more local governments and communities are demonstrating climate leadership by committing to ambitious carbon or renewable energy goals. This trend is also reflected at state and territory level. As of 9 July 2020, every single Australian state and territory has a formal target to reach net zero by 2050.

100% Renewables has been tracking ambitious carbon and renewable energy commitments made by all levels of Australian governments since we developed the 100% Renewable Energy Master Plan for Lismore City Council in 2014. In May 2017, we published our first blog post on the energy and carbon commitments of states, territories and local governments. We posted several updates since then – in March 2018, October 2018 and in October 2019.

Please see below a video, which shows the timeline of ambitious climate commitments of local governments from 2017 to 2020.

In this update, we present a graphic with state and territories commitments. We also show state-by-state commitments by capital cities, local governments and communities. We also cover memberships by local governments of the Cities Power Partnership, CEDAMIA, the Global Compact of Mayors, and C40.

States’ and territories’ climate change commitments

States and territories are committing to both renewable energy as well as carbon reduction targets. Most targets are in line with the Paris Agreement, which means that zero net emissions have to be reached by mid-century to avoid catastrophic climate change.

Further information

If you are interested in learning more about what it means to set targets in line with the Paris Agreement, please read our blog post on ‘Science-based targets in a nutshell’.

STATE OR TERRITORY	RENEWABLE ENERGY COMMITMENT	CARBON COMMITMENT
Australia	~20% from renewable energy sources by 2020 (33,000 GWh by 2020) (Target achieved)	26-28% emissions reduction from 2005 levels by 2030
NSW	20% from renewable energy in line with the RET	35% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions on 2005 levels by 2030 Zero net emissions by 2050
NT	50% renewable energy by 2030	Zero net emissions by 2050
SA	50% renewable energy production by 2025 (Target achieved in 2018)	Zero net emissions by 2050
TAS	100% renewable energy by 2022 200% renewable energy by 2040 (expected to be legislated in 2020)	Commitment to establish a zero net emissions target by 2050
QLD	50% renewable energy by 2030	Zero net emissions by 2050
VIC	25% renewable energy by 2020 40% renewable energy by 2025 50% renewable energy by 2030	Zero net emissions by 2050
WA	No target	Zero net emissions by 2050

Further information

For more information on the net zero plan of NSW, please have a read of our blog post ‘NSW Net Zero Plan Stage 1: 2020–2030’.

Figure 1: Ambitious renewable energy and carbon commitments by states and territories as at Sept 2020

Capital cities’ climate change commitments

Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane have been carbon neutral for many years and soon, they will be joined by Adelaide. The ACT Government has strong carbon reduction targets in place, while Perth has only committed to a carbon reduction target of 20%. Hobart doesn’t have any official targets but has a strong history of carbon reduction initiatives.

Further information

If you are interested in learning more about the differences of ‘carbon-neutral’ and ‘net-zero’, you can read our blog post on ’What is the meaning of carbon-neutral, net-zero and climate-neutral?‘.

For more information on how to become carbon neutral under Climate Active, please have a read of our blog post series on ‘Climate Active – Frequently Asked Questions’.

Exciting developments are that from January 2019, Melbourne and the City of Newcastle have been powered by 100% renewable energy, which was soon followed by the City of Sydney and Hawkesbury Council.

Further information

If you are interested in how you can achieve 100% renewable energy, you can read our blog post on ‘Eight ways to achieve 100% renewable electricity’.

You can also download our whitepaper on ‘How to achieve 100% renewable energy’

CAPITAL CITY	COMMITMENT
ACT Government	100% renewable electricity by 2020 40% reduction in GHG emissions from 1990 by 2020 50-60% reduction in GHG emissions from 1990 by 2025 65-75% reduction in GHG emissions from 1990 by 2030 90-95% reduction in GHG emissions from 1990 by 2040 Net zero emissions by 2045
Adelaide	100% renewable from July 2020 Zero net emissions from council operations by 2020 Zero net carbon emissions by 2025 for the community
Brisbane	Carbon neutral council from 2017
Melbourne	100% renewable energy from 2019 Carbon neutral from 2012 Net zero emissions for the LGA by 2040
Sydney	100% renewable energy for council operations by 2021 Carbon neutral from 2008 Reduce emissions by 70% for the LGA by 2030 Net zero emissions for the LGA by 2040

Local governments – ambitious commitments

The following table showcases ambitious carbon and energy commitments by capital cities and local governments and their communities. ‘Ambitious’ means that commitments need to be in line with science. If a local government is committing to the same goal as the state or territory jurisdiction it falls under, it is not considered ambitious, as it is implied that the local government will decarbonise consistent with state or territory policies. Please note that in future updates to this list, we will only report on net-zero targets ahead of 2050.

The following tables are split into renewable energy commitments and carbon reduction commitments.

Further information

If you are interested in learning more about the difference between renewable energy and carbon targets, you can read our blog post on whether carbon neutral and 100% renewables are the same.

If you are interested in learning more about target scopes, you should read our target series, starting at the blog post ‘What should be the scope of your target’.

STATE OR TERRITORY	LOCAL GOVERNMENTS	RENEWABLE ENERGY COMMITMENT	CARBON COMMITMENT
ACT	ACT	100% renewable electricity by 2020	65-75% reduction in GHG emissions from 1990 by 2030 Net zero emissions by 2045
NSW	Bathurst Regional	50% of council’s electricity consumption to be from renewable sources by 2025
NSW	Bega Valley Shire Council	Net zero emissions, with interim target of 100% renewable electricity by 2030
NSW	Bellingen Shire Council	100% renewable energy by 2030	45% carbon reduction by 2030 (based on 2010 emissions levels) Zero net emissions by 2040
NSW	Blacktown City Council		Net-zero GHG emissions from electricity, fuel and gas by 2030
NSW	Broken Hill Council	100% renewable energy status by 2030
NSW	Blue Mountains City Council		Carbon neutral by 2025
NSW	Byron Bay Council	100% renewable energy by 2027	Net zero by 2025
NSW	Central Coast Council		60% emissions reduction of Council emissions (below 2017/18 levels) by 2022 and 85% by 2028
NSW	City of Canada Bay		Net zero emissions by 2030
NSW	City of Newcastle	100% renewable electricity from 2020
NSW	City of Ryde	100% renewable energy by 2030
NSW	Coffs Harbour City Council	100% renewable energy by 2030	50% reduction in emissions (on 2010 levels) by 2025
NSW	Dubbo Regional Council	50% renewable energy by 2025
NSW	Eurobodalla Shire Council	100% renewable energy by 2030
NSW	Federation Council	Electricity neutral (i.e. generating electricity equal to, or greater than its consumption) by June 2025
NSW	Hornsby Shire Council		32% emissions reduction from 2018 by 2025 53% emissions reduction from 2018 by 2030
NSW	Inner West Council	100% renewable electricity by 2025	Carbon neutral by 2025 100% divestment from fossil fuel
NSW	Georges River Council	100% renewable target by 2025	Net zero carbon emissions by 2025 or as soon as practicable
NSW	Ku-ring-gai Council	Achieve 100% renewable energy by 2030, whilst pursuing efforts to reach this target by 2025	Net zero emissions by 2040, or earlier, and a 50% reduction, by 2030 100% reduction in fleet emissions by 2040
NSW	Kyogle Council	25% electricity from on-site solar by 2025 50% renewable electricity by 2025 100% renewable electricity by 2030
NSW	Lismore City Council	Self-generate all electricity needs from renewable sources by 2023
NSW	Nambucca Council		Zero net carbon emissions within the 2030 to 2050 time frame
NSW	Northern Beaches Council	All suitable sites being powered by renewable electricity by 2030	Net zero emissions by 2045 60% reduction in carbon emissions by 2040 Aspiration to achieve net zero emissions by 2030
NSW	Parramatta Council		Carbon neutral by 2022
NSW	Port Macquarie-Hastings Council	100% renewable energy by 2027
NSW	Randwick Council	100% renewable by 2030 for stationary and transport energy	Zero emissions by 2030
NSW	Sutherland Shire Council		Carbon neutral by 2030
NSW	Sydney	100% renewable energy for council operations by 2021	Carbon neutral from 2008
NSW	Tweed Shire Council	25% less electricity related carbon emissions (as tonnes CO2-e) than 2016/17 by 2022 50% less electricity related carbon emissions (as tonnes CO2-e) than 2016/17 by 2025	Net zero emissions by 2030
NSW	Waverley Council		70% reduction of Council emissions (2003/04 levels) by 2030 Carbon neutral by 2050
NSW	Willoughby City Council		By 2028 emit 50% less GHG emissions from operations compared with 2008/09 Achieve net zero emissions by 2050
NSW	Wollongong Council		Aspirational emissions reduction target of zero emissions by 2030
QLD	Brisbane City Council		Carbon neutral since 2017
QLD	Cairns Regional Council		Reduce emissions by 50% below 2007/08 levels by 2020
QLD	Gold Coast City Council		Carbon neutral by 2020
QLD	Ipswich City Council		Carbon neutral by 2021
QLD	Logan Council		Carbon neutral by 2022
QLD	Noosa Council		Net zero emissions by 2026
QLD	Sunshine Coast Council		Net zero emissions by 2041
SA	Adelaide	100% renewable from July 2020	Zero net emissions from council operations by 2020
TAS	City of Launceston Council	100% renewables by 2025	100% neutrality of carbon emissions by 2025
VIC	Banyule City Council		Carbon neutral operations by 2028
VIC	Bass Coast Shire Council		Zero net emissions by 2030
VIC	Bayside City Council		Carbon neutral by 2020
VIC	Brimbank City Council		50% reduction in corporate greenhouse emissions by 2023
VIC	Casey City Council		Carbon neutral by 2040
VIC	City of Ballarat Council	100% renewables by 2025	Zero emissions by 2025
VIC	City of Greater Bendigo	100% renewable energy by 2036
VIC	City of Greater Geelong	100% renewable electricity supply for all City owned and operated buildings and streetlights by 2025	City-managed operations to be carbon neutral by 2025 City-owned light fleet vehicles to be powered by zero-emission sources by 2030
VIC	City of Port Phillip		Zero net emissions by 2020
VIC	City of Yarra	100% renewable electricity since 2019	Carbon neutral since 2012
VIC	Darebin City Council		Carbon neutral by 2020 for both operations and the community
VIC	Frankston City Council		Zero net emissions by 2025
VIC	Hepburn Council		Carbon neutral by 2021
VIC	Hobsons Bay		Reach zero net GHG emissions from councils activities by 2020
VIC	Glen Eira		Net zero emissions from operations by 2025
VIC	Golden Plains Shire Council		Net zero emissions by 2040 50% reduction in Council emissions by 2023
VIC	Macedon Ranges Shire Council		Zero net emissions by 2030-2031
VIC	Manningham		100% carbon neutral by 2020
VIC	Moonee Valley City Council		Zero net emissions by 2020
VIC	Maribyrnong City Council		Net zero corporate CO2 emissions from 2015
VIC	Melbourne	100% renewable energy from 2019	Carbon neutral since 2012 for council operations
VIC	Moreland Council	100% renewable energy by 2019	Carbon neutral for operations since 2012
VIC	Mornington Peninsula Council		Carbon neutral by 2021
VIC	Mount Alexander Shire Council		Carbon neutral by 2025
VIC	Strathbogie Shire Council		Zero net emissions by 2025
VIC	Warrnambool City Council		Zero net emissions by 2040
VIC	Wellington Shire Council		Net zero emissions by 2040
VIC	Wyndham		Carbon neutral for corporate GHG emissions by 2040
WA	City of Bayswater	Corporate renewable energy target of 100% by 2030	Corporate GHG emissions reduction target of 100% by 2040
WA	City of Fremantle	100% renewable energy by 2025	Carbon neutral since 2009
WA	Mandurah		Carbon neutral by 2020

From the list above, 100% Renewables is proud to have developed many of the strategies and plans for councils that have committed to ambitious targets, and/or helped them to deliver on their target, including:

Bega Valley Shire Council
Bellingen Shire Council
Broken Hill Council
Blue Mountains City Council
City of Bayswater
City of Canada Bay
Coffs Harbour City Council, case study
Inner West Council
Ku-ring-gai Council
Kyogle Council
Lismore City Council
Nambucca Shire Council
Port Macquarie-Hastings Council
City of Parramatta Council
Randwick City Council, case study
Tweed Shire Council, case study
Waverley Council
Willoughby City Council

Ambitious renewable energy and carbon commitments by NSW councils and the ACT Government

Figure 2: Ambitious renewable energy and carbon commitments by local governments in New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory as at Sep 2020

Ambitious renewable energy and carbon commitments by VIC councils

Figure 3: Ambitious renewable energy and carbon commitments by local governments in VIC as at Sep 2020

Ambitious renewable energy and carbon commitments by QLD councils

Figure 4: Ambitious renewable energy and carbon commitments by local governments in Queensland as at Sep 2020

Ambitious renewable energy and carbon commitments by SA councils

Figure 5: Ambitious renewable energy and carbon commitments by local governments in South Australia as at Sep 2020

Ambitious renewable energy and carbon commitments by WA councils

Figure 6: Ambitious renewable energy and carbon commitments by local governments in Western Australia as at Sep 2020

Community climate change commitments

Until recently, most local governments focused on their own operations by developing targets and actions plans. With the increasing need to rapidly reduce carbon emissions to combat climate change, more and more councils are now looking at how they can lead and facilitate carbon mitigation in their communities.

The following table shows renewable energy and carbon commitments made by local governments on behalf of their community.

Further information

For more information on how to set targets and develop action plans for communities, please have a read of our blog post on setting targets for community emissions.

STATE OR TERRITORY	COMMUNITY	RENEWABLE ENERGY COMMITMENT	CARBON COMMITMENT
NSW	Byron Bay Community		Net zero by 2025
NSW	City of Canada Bay		Net zero emissions by 2050
NSW	City of Wollongong		Net zero emissions by 2050
NSW	Hawkesbury City Council		Carbon neutral LGA by 2036
NSW	Inner West Council	100% of schools have installed solar by 2036 Solar PV capacity is 20 times greater than in 2017 by 2036	Community emissions are 75% less than in 2017 in 2036
NSW	Ku-ring-gai Council		Net zero GHG emissions by 2040
NSW	Lockhart	Plan for town to be powered by renewable energy and operating on a microgrid
NSW	Mullumbimby	100% renewable energy by 2020
NSW	Sydney		Reduce emissions by 70% for the LGA by 2030 Net zero emissions for the LGA by 2040
NSW	Tweed Shire Council		Net zero emissions by 2030
NSW	Tyalgum Village	Plan to be off the grid 100% renewable energy, with batteries
NSW	Uralla Town		Plan to be first zero net energy town
NSW	Waverley Council		70% reduction of community emissions (2003/04 levels) by 2030 Carbon neutral by 2050
NSW	Willoughby City Council		By 2028, our community will emit 30% less GHG emissions compared with 2010/11
SA	City of Adelaide		Zero net carbon emissions by 2025
VIC	Bass Coast Shire Council		Zero net emissions by 2030
VIC	Cardinia Shire Council		36% reduction in per capita community emissions by 2024
VIC	City of Darebin		Zero net carbon emissions across Darebin by 2020
VIC	Healesville		Net zero town by 2027
VIC	Hobsons Bay		Reach zero net GHG emissions from the communitys activities by 2030
VIC	Glen Eira		Net zero emissions from the community by 2030
VIC	Melbourne		Net zero emissions by 2040
VIC	Moonee Valley City Council		Zero net emissions by 2040
VIC	Moreland Council		Zero carbon emissions Moreland by 2040
VIC	Natimuk	100% renewable energy with community solar farm
VIC	Newstead Village	Plan to be 100% renewable
VIC	Warrnambool Council		Carbon neutral city by 2040
VIC	Wyndham		Zero net GHG emissions from electricity use in the municipality by 2040
VIC	Yackandandah Town	100% renewable energy by 2022
WA	City of Fremantle		Zero carbon for LGA by 2025
WA	Perth		32% reduction in citywide emissions by 2031

At this stage, only the NSW and VIC graphics have been split into council operations’ and communities’ commitments. For other states, please refer to the maps in the previous section.

Ambitious renewable energy and carbon commitments by NSW communities

Figure 7: Ambitious renewable energy and carbon commitments by communities in New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory as at Sep 2020

Ambitious renewable energy and carbon commitments by VIC communities

Figure 8: Ambitious renewable energy and carbon commitments by communities in Victoria as at Sep 2020

From the list above, 100% Renewables is proud to have developed many of the renewable energy strategies and plans for communities including:

Canada Bay LGA
Clarence Valley LGA
Hawkesbury LGA
Ku-ring-gai LGA
North Sydney LGA
Queanbeyan-Palerang LGA
Willoughby City LGA

Local governments in Australia that have declared a climate emergency

Local governments are playing a key role in leading the climate emergency response, which is why CEDAMIA (derived from Climate Emergency Declaration and Mobilisation In Action) campaigns for a Climate Emergency Declaration at all levels of government.

CEDAMIA calls on all Australian federal, state, and territory parliaments and all local councils to:

Declare a climate emergency
Commit to providing maximum protection for all people, economies, species, ecosystems, and Civilisations, and to fully restoring a safe climate
Mobilise the required resources and take effective action at the necessary scale and speed
Transform the economy to zero emissions and make a fair contribution to drawing down the excess carbon dioxide in the air, and
Encourage all other governments around the world to take these same actions.

CEDAMIA works in conjunction in conjunction with CACE – Council Action in the Climate Emergency. Step 1 is to declare a climate emergency, and step 2 is to mobilise your community and move into emergency mode. According to CACE, a local government’s key role is to

Lobby state and national governments to adopt and fund full climate emergency response
Encourage other councils to implement a climate emergency response through networks and by leading by example
Have local emergency action through education, mitigation and resilience building
Educating council staff about the climate emergency and what council can do to respond

The following local governments have declared a climate emergency:

STATE	LOCAL GOVERNMENT
ACT	Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly
NSW	Armidale Regional Council
NSW	Ballina Shire Council
NSW	Bega Valley Shire Council
NSW	Bellingen Shire Council
NSW	Blacktown City Council
NSW	Blue Mountains City Council
NSW	Broken Hill City Council
NSW	Byron Shire Council
NSW	Canada Bay City Council
NSW	Canterbury Bankstown City Council
NSW	Central Coast Council
NSW	Clarence Valley Council
NSW	Glen Innes Severn Shire Council
NSW	Hawkesbury City Council
NSW	Hunters Hill Council
NSW	Inner West Council
NSW	Kiama Municipal Council
NSW	Lane Cove Council
NSW	Lismore City Council
NSW	MidCoast Council
NSW	Mosman Council
NSW	Newcastle City Council
NSW	North Sydney Council
NSW	Northern Beaches Council
NSW	Randwick City Council
NSW	Ryde City Council
NSW	Sydney City Council
NSW	Tweed Shire Council
NSW	Upper Hunter Shire Council
NSW	Waverley Council
NSW	Willoughby City Council
NSW	Wingecarribee Shire Council
NSW	Wollongong City Council
NSW	Woollahra Municipal Council
NT	Darwin City Council
QLD	Noosa Shire Council
SA	Adelaide City Council
SA	Adelaide Hills Council
SA	Alexandrina Council
SA	Burnside City Council
SA	Campbelltown City Council
SA	Charles Sturt City Council
SA	Gawler Town Council
SA	Holdfast Bay City Council
SA	Light Regional Council
SA	Mitcham Council
SA	Mount Barker District Council
SA	Murray Bridge Council
SA	Port Adelaide Enfield City Council
SA	Port Lincoln City Council
SA	Salisbury City Council
SA	Victor Harbor Council
TAS	Hobart City Council
TAS	Kingborough Council
TAS	Launceston City Council
VIC	Ballarat City Council
VIC	Banyule City Council
VIC	Bass Coast Shire Council
VIC	Bayside City Council
VIC	Brimbank City Council
VIC	Cardinia Shire Council
VIC	Darebin City Council
VIC	Frankston City Council
VIC	Glen Eira City Council
VIC	Greater Dandenong City Council
VIC	Greater Geelong City Council
VIC	Greater Shepparton City Council
VIC	Hepburn Shire Council
VIC	Hobsons Bay City Council
VIC	Indigo Shire Council
VIC	Kingston City Council
VIC	Manningham Council
VIC	Maribyrnong City Council
VIC	Melbourne City Council
VIC	Mildura Rural City Council
VIC	Moonee Valley City Council
VIC	Mount Alexander Shire Council
VIC	Moreland City Council
VIC	Mornington Peninsula Shire Council
VIC	Moyne Shire Council
VIC	Port Phillip City Council
VIC	Queenscliffe Borough Council
VIC	Stonnington City Council
VIC	Surf Coast Shire Council
VIC	Warrnambool City Council
VIC	Yarra City Council
VIC	Yarra Ranges Council
WA	Augusta-Margaret River Shire Council
WA	Denmark Shire Council
WA	East Fremantle Town Council
WA	Fremantle City Council
WA	Mundaring Shire Council
WA	Swan City Council
WA	Victoria Park Town Council
WA	Vincent City Council

Further information

For more information on 5 key considerations for declaring for climate emergency plans, please read our article, which also includes a video.

Local Governments that are members of Cities Power Partnership

The Cities Power Partnership (CPP) is Australia’s largest local government climate network, made up over 127 councils from across the country, representing almost 11 million Australians. Local councils who join the partnership make five action pledges in either renewable energy, efficiency, transport or working in partnership to tackle climate change.

There are dozens of actions that councils can choose from ranging from putting solar on council assets, switching to electric vehicles, to opening up old landfills for new solar farms. The following table shows current local government members of CPP.

STATE	LOCAL GOVERNMENT
ACT	Canberra
NSW	Albury City Council
NSW	Bathurst Regional Council
NSW	Bayside Council
NSW	Bega Valley Shire
NSW	Bellingen Shire Council
NSW	Blacktown City Council
NSW	Blue Mountains City Council
NSW	Broken Hill City Council
NSW	Byron Shire Council
NSW	City of Canterbury-Bankstown
NSW	Central Coast Council
NSW	Clarence Valley Council
NSW	Coffs Harbour
NSW	Cumberland Council
NSW	Dubbo Regional Council
NSW	Eurobodalla Council
NSW	Georges River Council
NSW	Hawkesbury City Council
NSW	Hornsby Shire Council
NSW	Inner West Council
NSW	Kiama Council
NSW	Ku-ring-gai Council
NSW	Lane Cove Council
NSW	Lake Macquarie
NSW	Lismore City Council
NSW	Mosman Council
NSW	MidCoast Council
NSW	Muswellbrook Shire Council
NSW	Nambucca Shire Council
NSW	The City of Newcastle
NSW	https://citiespowerpartnership.org.au
NSW	North Sydney Council
NSW	Orange City Council
NSW	Parkes Shire Council
NSW	City of Parramatta
NSW	Penrith City Council
NSW	Port Macquarie-Hastings
NSW	Randwick City Council
NSW	City of Ryde
NSW	Shellharbour City Council
NSW	Shoalhaven City Council
NSW	City of Sydney
NSW	Tweed Shire
NSW	Upper Hunter Shire Council
NSW	City of Wagga Wagga
NSW	Waverley Council
NSW	Willoughby Council
NSW	Wingecarribee Shire
NSW	Wollongong City Council
NSW	Woollahra Municipal Council
NT	Alice Springs Town Council
NT	City of Darwin
QLD	Brisbane City Council
QLD	Bundaberg Regional Council
QLD	Cairns Regional Council
QLD	Douglas Shire Council
QLD	Ipswich City Council
QLD	Livingstone Shire Council
QLD	Logan City Council
QLD	Mackay Regional Council
QLD	Noosa Shire Council
QLD	Sunshine Coast Council
SA	Adelaide Hills Council
SA	City of Adelaide
SA	Alexandrina Council
SA	City of Charles Sturt
SA	Goyder Regional Council
SA	Mount Barker District Council
SA	City of Onkaparinga
SA	City of Port Adelaide Enfield
SA	City of Victor Harbor
TAS	Brighton Council
TAS	City of Launceston
TAS	Huon Valley Council
TAS	Glamorgan Spring Bay
TAS	Northern Midlands Council
VIC	City of Ballarat
VIC	Baw Baw Shire Council
VIC	Benalla Rural City Council
VIC	City of Boroondara
VIC	City of Darebin
VIC	City of Greater Dandenong
VIC	Hepburn Shire Council
VIC	City of Melbourne
VIC	Mildura Rural City Council
VIC	City of Monash
VIC	Moonee Valley City Council
VIC	Moreland City Council
VIC	Mornington Peninsula Shire
VIC	Mount Alexander Shire Council
VIC	City of Mitcham
VIC	Nillumbik Shire Council
VIC	City of Port Phillip
VIC	Borough of Queenscliffe
VIC	Strathbogie Shire Council
VIC	Stonnington City Council
VIC	Rural City of Wangaratta
VIC	Warrnambool City Council
VIC	Wollongong City Council
VIC	Wyndham City Council
VIC	City of Yarra
VIC	Yarra Ranges Council
WA	City of Armadale
WA	Shire of Augusta-Margaret River
WA	Town of Bassendean
WA	City of Bayswater
WA	City of Belmont
WA	City of Bunbury
WA	City of Busselton
WA	City of Canning
WA	City of Cockburn
WA	Shire of Donnybrook-Balingup
WA	City of Fremantle
WA	City of Gosnells
WA	City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder
WA	City of Kwinana
WA	City of Melville
WA	Shire of Mundaring
WA	Shire of Murray
WA	Shire of Northam
WA	City of Rockingham
WA	Shire of Serpentine Jarrahdale
WA	City of Subiaco
WA	City of Swan
WA	Town of Victoria Park
WA	City of Vincent

Local Governments that are members of Global Covenant of Mayors

Global Covenant of Mayors or GCoM is the largest global alliance for city climate leadership. GCoM is built upon the commitment of over 10,000 cities and local governments across 6 continents and 138 countries. In total, these cities represent more than 800 million people. By 2030, Global Covenant cities and local governments could account for 2.3 billion tons CO₂-e of annual emissions reduction.

In Australia, 27 councils are members of GCoM. To join the GCoM, you need to develop citywide knowledge, goals, and plans that aim at least as high as your country’s own climate protection commitment(s) or Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) to the Paris Climate Agreement.

As a partner of the GCoM, you need to undertake the following:

Develop a community greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions inventory
Assess climate risks and vulnerabilities
Define ambitious climate mitigation, resilience and energy targets
Create full climate action plans

STATE	LOCAL GOVERNMENT
ACT	Australian Capital Territory (Canberra)
NSW	Byron Shire
NSW	Newcastle
NSW	Penrith
NSW	Sydney
NSW	Tweed Shire
NSW	Wollongong
SA	Adelaide
SA	Mount Barker
SA	West Torrens
TAS	Hobart
VIC	Darebin City Council
VIC	Glen Eira
VIC	Hobsons Bay City Council
VIC	Manningham
VIC	Maribyrnong
VIC	Melbourne
VIC	Melton
VIC	Moreland
VIC	Mornington Peninsula Shire
VIC	Port Phillip
VIC	Wyndham City Council
VIC	Yarra
WA	Joondalup
WA	Mandurah
WA	Melville
WA	Perth

We recently helped the City of Newcastle with their submission to GCoM, so please contact us if you need help with filling in the GCoM questionnaire.

Local Governments that are members of C40

C40 is a network of the world’s megacities committed to addressing climate change. C40 supports cities to collaborate effectively, share knowledge and drive meaningful, measurable and sustainable action on climate change. In Australia, Melbourne and Sydney are members.

If you need help with your own target or plan

100% Renewables are experts in helping local governments and communities develop carbon mitigation and climate adaptation targets, strategies and plans. If you need help with developing a target and plan that takes your unique situation into consideration, please contact Barbara or Patrick.

Please let us know if there are any commitments that are missing, or if any commitment needs a correction. You can contact us for high-resolution copies of the graphics in this article.

What is the meaning of carbon-neutral, net-zero and climate-neutral? [with video]

September 9, 20202020, Carbon, Net zerocarbon accounting, carbon footprint, carbon management, carbon neutral, leadership, net zero, targetsBarbara Albert

There are several terms that describe ambitious climate action targets such as ‘carbon-neutral’, ‘net-zero’ and ‘climate-neutral’, and we are sometimes asked whether these terms can be used interchangeably.

Are the terms ‘carbon-neutral’, ‘net-zero’ and ‘climate-neutral’ the same or are they different?

Whether you are using ‘carbon-neutral’, ‘net-zero’, or ‘climate neutral’ in your goal, they all reflect the same intent to reduce or eliminate your organisation’s impact on the climate system.

In most cases, these terms are and can be used interchangeably, but there are differences in how they are defined and what they are taken to mean in terms of how goals are to be achieved. Let’s have a look at the definitions of the terms first.

How do you define carbon-neutral, net-zero emissions and climate-neutral?

According to the IPCC Special Report: Global Warming of 1.5°C, the definitions are as follows:

Definition of carbon neutrality

Carbon neutrality, or net-zero carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions, is achieved when your organisation’s CO₂ emissions are balanced globally by CO₂ removal, typically over one year.

Definition of net-zero emissions

Net-zero emissions are achieved when your organisation’s emissions of all greenhouse gases (CO₂-e) are balanced by greenhouse gas removals, typically over one year.

Definition of climate neutrality

Climate neutrality is achieved when organisational activities result in no net effect on the climate system. In climate-neutral claims, regional or local bio-geophysical effects have to be accounted for as well, such as radiative forcing (e.g. from aircraft condensation trails).

In summary, a carbon-neutral target relates to carbon dioxide only, whereas a ‘net-zero’ goal includes all greenhouse gases, and a ‘climate-neutral’ goals extends to other effects such as radiative forcing as well. For an explanation of the different greenhouse gases and radiative forcing, please read the appendix.

For most companies, carbon-neutral, net-zero and climate-neutral mean the same.

If an organisation releases mainly carbon dioxide, there is not much difference between using the term carbon-neutral, net-zero or climate-neutral.

Also, for most sectors, net-zero emissions and climate neutrality are the same due to the most important climate impact being the release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. However, some sectors, such as aviation, should consider other climate impacts from non-CO₂ radiative forcing as well.

Examples of carbon-neutral, net-zero and climate-neutral claims

You can see examples of how these targets can be turned into claims in the graphic below. The horizontal axis shows the potential scope of an organisation’s emissions, from CO₂-only to climate neutral. The vertical axis shows the scope of activities that are covered, from site level through to the full value chain of an organisation.

Figure 1: Scopes of carbon neutrality, net-zero and climate neutrality. Source: CDP and SBTi.

For examples of how organisations are phrasing their commitments, have a look at the following:

Apple, which is already carbon neutral for corporate emissions worldwide, committed to be 100% carbon neutral for its supply chain and products by 2030. They plan on ‘bringing their entire footprint to net zero 20 years sooner than IPCC targets’.

H&M, have committed to the following:

Climate positive by 2040 throughout H&M Group’s entire value chain.
Climate-neutral supply chain for our manufacturing and processing factories owned or subcontracted by our suppliers as well as our suppliers’ own suppliers (i.e. fabric mills, fibre processors, spinners or tanneries) by 2030.
Reduce scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions by 40% before 2030 (baseline 2017).
Reduce scope 3 GHG emissions from purchased raw materials, fabric production and garments by 59% per product before 2030 (baseline 2017).
Increase annual sourcing of renewable electricity from 95% in 2017 to 100% by 2030.

In Australia, Atlassian committed to:

running their operations on 100% renewable energy by 2025
setting science-based targets to limit warming to 1.5°C
achieve net-zero emissions by no later than 2050.

Reaching carbon neutrality/net-zero emissions/climate neutrality

In addition to what climate forces are included in targets, there are also different interpretations of how a particular target will be reached.

For example, most people understand a net-zero or a climate-neutral target to mean that a business puts significant emphasis on reducing or mitigating emissions in their own organisation, and will buy offsets to address residual emissions. For many, a carbon-neutral goal is seen as a strategy that mainly relies on the purchase of carbon offsets. In that sense, a carbon-neutral goal can be seen as an interim goal on the journey to net-zero emissions.

Please read the appendix for further information on offsets.

Carbon neutral under Climate Active

Climate Active is a Commonwealth Government program that allows Australian organisations to achieve certified carbon neutral status for their whole organisation, products/services, events and buildings/precincts. Climate Active is a rigorous program which ensures that your climate claim is credible. For more information on this program, please read our three-part blog series- Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3.

When going carbon neutral under Climate Active, all greenhouse gas emissions must be considered, including your organisation’s emissions, emissions in your value chain, and radiative forcing for flights. In addition, you need to develop a strategy on how to reduce emissions in your organisation, not just offset them.

When committing to be carbon neutral under Climate Active, you can safely assume that your carbon-neutral goal is synonymous with a climate-neutral or net-zero goal in terms of emissions coverage, as shown in the following graphic:

Figure 2: Climate Active carbon-neutral can be interpreted to be the same as net-zero and climate-neutral

Five factors you should consider when setting your climate target

To ensure that you are setting a credible target and to avoid reputational damage, you should be mindful of the following considerations when defining your carbon-neutral/net-zero/climate-neutral target:

Define what greenhouse gases you include in your claim. Only CO₂, or all relevant greenhouse gases?
Define what entity is addressed in your claim. Only operational emissions, or also your supply chain? Will you make an event carbon neutral or one of your buildings or products/services?
Define what emission sources form part of your claim. Will you include all carbon scopes or just a select few? Will you perform a materiality assessment across your emission sources to find out which you should include?’
Define the strategy on how you intend to reach your target. Will you use carbon offsets? How much focus will you place on reducing emissions that fall under your operational control? How much focus will you put on reducing emissions in your value chain?
Define the timeframe. Be mindful of setting the year you want to reach your goal at least in line with science. Consider setting yourself an interim carbon reduction target in line with science.

What comes after net-zero?

Reaching net-zero is an important achievement for any organisation, but it is only one step towards stabilising our climate. Beyond net-zero, we need to remove more greenhouse gases than we are adding to the atmosphere.

Ambitious climate change leaders are starting to turn their attention to balancing out their historical emissions, as well as their current and future emissions. They are also beginning to think about becoming ‘carbon-negative’ or ‘climate-positive’, which means that you are removing more GHG from the atmosphere than you are adding to it.

Appendix

What greenhouse gases are there?

When thinking of greenhouse gases, most people would list carbon dioxide as the main culprit. CO₂ is indeed the most prevalent greenhouse gas, but according to the GHG Protocol, there are seven greenhouse gases (GHG) that organisations should report on:

Carbon dioxide (CO₂), which is mostly emitted by burning fossil fuels
Methane (CH₄), which is mostly emitted by growing ruminant animals such as sheep and cows, and from landfills
Nitrous oxide (N₂O), which is mostly emitted by growing crops (fertiliser usage) and livestock (manure)
Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), which are mostly emitted by refrigeration equipment
Perfluorocarbons (PFCs), which are mostly emitted by the aluminium industry
Sulphur hexafluoride (SF₆), mostly emitted by switchgear
Nitrogen trifluoride (NF₃), mostly emitted in computer manufacturing

Carbon dioxide is the most important greenhouse gas due to the vast quantities that are being emitted and due to its long life – hundreds of years – in the atmosphere. Another such ‘long-lived’ GHG is nitrous oxide, at more than 100 years.

Methane, for instance, exists in the atmosphere for a much shorter period, but has a much higher global warming potential than CO₂, meaning that this gas causes more global warming per tonne than CO₂.

Most fluorinated gases (PFCs, SF_6,HFCs) have very high global warming potentials, so small atmospheric concentrations can have disproportionately large effects on global temperatures. They can also last in the atmosphere for thousands of years. And whereas carbon dioxide can be absorbed by growing plants, no living organism needs HFCs in any of their processes.

Most organisations are emitting carbon dioxide as their most significant greenhouse gas.

What is non-CO₂ radiative forcing?

A recent study called ‘The contribution of global aviation to anthropogenic climate forcing for 2000 to 2018’ shows that global aviation warms Earth’s surface through both CO₂ and net non-CO₂ contributions.

Aviation contributions involve a range of atmospheric physical processes, including plume dynamics, chemical transformations, microphysics, radiation, and transport, which you can see in the image below. Interestingly, the study reveals that two-thirds of the climate impact from aviation is caused by emissions other than CO_2.

Figure 3: How aviation affects the climate system

How can you reach carbon neutrality/net-zero/climate neutrality?

To reach the goal of the Paris Agreement, emissions must be reduced as close to zero as possible, as quickly as possible. By 2030, we need to have halved emissions.

Both CO₂ and non-CO₂ emissions can be reduced by decarbonising grid energy, building more sustainably, producing our goods and services more sustainably and transporting our goods more sustainably.

In addition, targeted non-CO₂ mitigation measures can reduce nitrous oxide and methane emissions from agriculture, as well as methane emissions from the waste sector. HFCs in refrigeration equipment can also be replaced with less harmful substances.

Offsetting

Offsets are a useful way to reach a carbon-neutral target right away. One offset equals one tonne of greenhouse gas emissions that is avoided or reduced elsewhere. However, you need to make sure that you purchase highly credible carbon offsets that meet rigorous selection criteria.

Carbon offsets can be generated from projects that remove carbon from the atmosphere, such as planting trees, which need CO₂ to grow.

Offsets can also be generated from activities that avoid emissions (compared to a hypothetical business-as-usual scenario), such as wind farm projects, or energy efficiency projects.

Which is more popular? Carbon neutral, net-zero or climate-neutral?

Analysing past submissions to CDP shows that most companies use the term ‘carbon-neutral’ over terms such as ‘climate-neutral’ or ‘net-zero’. However, the term ‘net-zero’ is becoming increasingly popular.

A search on Google trends over the past three years reveals that in Australia, the term ‘carbon-neutral’ is a more popular search term compared to ‘net-zero’, which in turn is more popular than the term ‘climate-neutral’.

Figure 4: Google search trends for ‘carbon-neutral’, ‘net-zero’ and ‘climate-neutral’[1]

[1] Numbers represent search interest relative to the highest point on the chart for the given region and time. A value of 100 is the peak popularity for the term. A value of 50 means that the term is half as popular. A score of 0 means there was not enough data for this term.

100% Renewables are experts in helping organisations develop their climate action strategies and plans, and supporting the implementation and achievement of ambitious targets. If you need help to develop your Climate Action Strategy, please contact Barbara or Patrick.

FAQs for becoming certified under Climate Active – Part 3 [with video]

July 17, 20202020, Carbon, Net zerocarbon accounting, carbon footprint, carbon management, carbon neutral, Climate Active / NCOS, leadership, net zero, offsets, targetsBarbara Albert

This article follows on from part 1 and part 2 of this series, in which we discussed general questions about carbon neutrality, scopes, the Climate Active Program and typical emissions sources in a Climate Active carbon footprint. In this blog post, we’ll address how to get certified carbon neutral under Climate Active and how much it costs to get certified under the Climate Active program.

How do I become certified under Climate Active?

To become certified carbon neutral under Climate Active, there are four basic steps.

Determine your carbon footprint boundary
Calculate your carbon footprint
Get your carbon footprint verified
Purchase carbon offsets and submit all documentation to the Commonwealth Government

What responsibilities do you have under Climate Active?

The following list shows your responsibilities under the Climate Active program. Please note that a registered consultant can help you with engaging a verifier, collecting all necessary data, completing your report and guiding you through the offset purchase process.

Sign Licence Agreement
Pay annual fee
Engage auditor/verifier
Complete report or provide all data to a Registered Consultant (please note that 100% Renewables is a Registered Consultant)
Purchase offsets
Sign the Public Disclosure Statement and submit the report
Submit web profile
Use the Climate Active trademark correctly

How much does it cost to become certified under Climate Active?

There are four fee components for getting certified under Climate Active

Engage a registered consultant to help you with the carbon inventory boundary and carbon footprint calculation
Engage a third-party validation provider to verify the work done by the registered consultant
Buy carbon offsets to achieve carbon neutrality
Pay Climate Active membership fees

NOTE:
Please contact us for an estimate of how much you will likely need to pay for these four fee components. We can provide you with a 1-page report.

Let’s have a look at these fees in detail.

How much do I have to pay a registered consultant?

We are a registered consultant under the Climate Active program. Our fees depend on the size and complexity of your organisation, on how much of the work you would like to do yourself, as well as on the emission sources that are included. It’s best to contact us for a quote. We will give you a fixed fee quote once we understand your circumstances a bit better.

How much do I have to pay a verifier?

Just like with registered consultant fees, verification costs also increase with the complexity and size of your organisation. It is likely that verification providers will charge a higher fee if you choose not to engage a registered consultant.

What is the difference between a registered consultant and a verifier?

A ‘registered consultant’ can be engaged to develop your carbon inventory boundary, carbon footprint and emission reduction strategy. They would liaise with you, your verifier and the Commonwealth. It is not mandatory, and you could do this step yourself, but it is highly recommended that you do engage a registered consultant as they have the skilled resources who have done the training and are experienced in this work.

A verifier is an independent third party who must be engaged to validate the carbon boundary and footprint. Your registered consultant cannot be the same person or business as the verifier so that there is no conflict of interest.

Could we do any of this work ourselves?

You can develop your own carbon footprint in accordance with the Climate Active rules if you have the in-house resources. In any case, you will need to engage a verifier. You might find that a verifier’s fees are then a little higher, as they may have to do more detailed checking than they would otherwise have to do.

How much do I have to pay for carbon offsets?

There is a wide range of costs, depending on the actual offset project, its location, accreditation standard and co-benefits, as well as the volume you are purchasing. The range can be from $1.50 to $28 per carbon offset.

It is usually helpful to run a workshop with your key stakeholders to work out your preferences and what is feasible given your emissions and budget.

How much are Climate Active membership fees?

Climate Active licence fees depend entirely on the size of your current footprint. There are four brackets which range from under 2,000 tonnes of carbon emissions to over 80,000 tonnes. You will pay between $820 to $2,627 inc GST for the lowest bracket, a fee which will be charged annually. If your footprint is greater than 80,000 tonnes, you will need to pay $18,911 inc GST annually. These fees increase by 2.5% every year.

Do I have to pay all these fees every year?

No. You will have to pay yearly Climate Active membership and carbon offset fees to continue to be a carbon-neutral company. And you do need to calculate your carbon footprint annually as well, but this would be much less than the first time, and you should make sure that all the data collection and calculation processes are documented so that you can do the work in-house, or mainly in-house.

You will only need to pay the validation provider once every three years.

Does the size of my company matter?

Yes, absolutely. Because of the rigour and multi-step process that is involved with getting certified under Climate Active, there is a certain amount of cost involved with becoming carbon neutral under Climate Active.

To give you an example, the smallest bracket under Climate Active is between 0 and 2,000 tonnes of yearly emissions for organisations. 2,000 tonnes of carbon emissions roughly equal the electricity consumption of 300 homes or the fuel consumption of 600 cars.

Say your organisation emitted 100 tonnes of carbon emissions yearly. Climate Active fees would be $820 inc GST, while registered consultant and verification costs can vary between $500 and $10,000 each, depending on who you engage. Carbon offset costs will range from $1,200 to $2,800, depending on the exact carbon credits you would like to purchase.

Do I have to calculate my carbon footprint every year?

Yes, you will have to calculate your carbon footprint every year. Your organisation might have changed, or your carbon footprint boundary, or the way you collect your data. Your business activity may also have changed, resulting in a higher or lower carbon footprint. You may have outsourced activities that were previously insourced. The carbon intensity of the grid may also have changed, resulting in potentially lower emissions.

It is essential to calculate your carbon footprint every year so you can see the effect of those changes. It will allow you to celebrate any success you’ve had with emissions reductions or getting closer to your goal. Alternatively, it will be a good opportunity to put a particular focus on emissions that might have increased over time or that you want to target with your next emission reductions projects.

We recommend using a consultant such as 100% Renewables to help with the yearly calculation, but if you have the skills set and availability inhouse, you can undertake this activity yourself.

If you are going through Climate Active certification for the first time, the whole process can seem a bit confusing. Engaging a registered consultant such as 100% Renewables will ensure a smooth and easy process. Please download our Climate Active brochure to find out more about how we can help you with your Climate Active certification.

100% Renewables’ staff are registered consultants with Climate Active. If you would like to achieve certification, or prepare for certification, please contact Barbara.

FAQs for becoming certified under Climate Active – Part 2 [with video]

July 3, 20202020, Carbon, Net zerocarbon accounting, carbon footprint, carbon management, carbon neutral, Climate Active / NCOS, leadership, net zero, offsets, targetsBarbara Albert

One of our service offers is helping our clients determine their Climate Active carbon footprint and obtain Climate Active certification from the Commonwealth Government. Over the last few months, we’ve received many calls of organisations wanting to find out more about Climate Active accreditation, which resulted in the publication of Part 1 of this series.

In Part 2 of this series, we will discuss more details about scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions and what emission sources typically form part of a Climate Active carbon footprint. In the final blog post of this series, we will go into more details about how to get certified under Climate Active.

What are scope 1, scope 2 and scope 3 emissions?

Scope 1 emissions are emissions directly generated at your operations, such as burning natural gas or driving company cars, or refrigerant gases in your air conditioning equipment.

Scope 2 emissions are caused indirectly by consuming electricity. These emissions are generated outside your organisation (think coal-fired power station), but you are indirectly responsible for them.

Scope 3 emissions are also indirect emissions and happen upstream and downstream of your business. Examples are waste, air travel, the consumption of goods and services, contractor emissions, or leased assets.

Figure 1: Emission sources and scopes – graphic adjusted from the Corporate Value Chain Accounting and Reporting Standard

Supply chain emissions/Scope 3 categories

According to the GHG Protocol, specifically the Corporate Value Chain Accounting and Reporting Standard, there are 15 categories of supply chain/scope 3 emissions

Upstream supply chain emissions

Purchased goods and services
Capital goods
Fuel- and energy-related activities (not included in scope 1 or scope 2)
Upstream transportation and distribution
Waste generated in your operations
Business travel
Employee commuting
Upstream leased assets

Downstream supply chain emissions

Downstream transportation and distribution
Processing of sold products
Use of sold products
End-of-life treatment of sold products
Downstream leased assets
Franchises
Investments

While this list looks a bit overwhelming, not all emission sources will be relevant. It’s important to prioritise your data collection efforts and focus on your most significant and relevant emission sources. You can ask questions such as whether you expect the emission source to be large relative to your scope 1 and scope 2 sources, or whether you have influence over the activity, or whether your stakeholders deem the emission source relevant.

The graphic below shows a graphical representation of a typical Climate Active boundary for emission sources.

Figure 2: Typical Climate Active boundary for emission sources

What are the benefits of calculating supply chain/scope 3 emissions?

Just looking at your scope 1 and scope 2 emissions can give you a distorted picture of your environmental impact. Going through the list of upstream and downstream scope 3 emission sources is a great exercise to identify the carbon intensity of your value and supply chain. It encourages the quantification and reporting of emissions from various suppliers, which can help you drive greater emission reductions. It will also have a snowball effect by not only you focusing on reducing your direct emission sources, but also encouraging your suppliers to reduce theirs.

For many organisations scope 3 emissions can represent a much larger emission source than scope 1 and scope 2 emissions, and it is often eye-opening to calculate your carbon footprint across all three scopes. Also, the more scope 3 emission sources you include in your carbon inventory, the more credibility your statement of carbon neutrality will have.

Understanding scope 3 emissions will help you plan for potential future carbon regulations and can guide corporate procurement decisions and product design.

What emission sources are in a typical Climate Active footprint?

A Climate Active carbon footprint encompasses many emission sources across the three carbon accounting scopes. One of the first steps in getting certified under the Climate Active program is to determine your carbon footprint boundary.

You need to include all emissions that you have direct control or ownership of, such as natural gas, transport fuel usage by your vehicles, and electricity consumption in your operations. You also need to identify all emissions that are a consequence of your activities but are outside of your direct ownership or control, such as waste and contractors’ transport.

You must also include emissions from third party electricity use under your organisation’s control even if they are offsite, such as outsourced data centres, if these emissions are large relative to other emission sources.

You don’t need to include every single emission source, but you must assess all other direct and indirect emissions to determine whether they are ‘relevant’.

The relevancy test

Under Climate Active, particular emissions sources are relevant when any two of the following conditions are met:

The emissions are likely to be large relative to your electricity, stationary energy and fuel emissions
The emissions contribute to your GHG risk exposure, and including and addressing them will help you to avoid future costs related to energy and emissions
The emissions are deemed relevant by your key stakeholders (such as major customers, suppliers, investors or the wider community)
You have the potential to influence an emissions reduction
The emissions are from outsourced activities that were previously undertaken in-house, or from outsourced activities that are typically undertaken within the boundary for comparable organisations. Data centres and transport are typical examples of this.

If an emission source is relevant, you must include it in your carbon footprint boundary. You can exclude emissions that are not relevant, but you should disclose these in your public reporting documents.

You may find that many emission sources will be relevant, but you don’t have to collect data for all of them. For instance, if the associated emissions constitute less than 1% of the total carbon footprint, you can include the source in your boundary, but you don’t have to calculate its associated emissions.

There are many more questions to be answered, so stay tuned for Part 3 of this blog post series. If you are going through Climate Active certification for the first time, the whole process can seem a bit confusing. Engaging a registered consultant such as 100% Renewables will ensure a smooth and easy process. Please download our Climate Active brochure to find out more about how we can help you with your Climate Active certification.

100% Renewables’ staff are registered consultants with Climate Active. If you would like to achieve certification, or prepare for certification, please contact Barbara.

FAQs for becoming certified under Climate Active – Part 1 [with video]

June 19, 20202020, Carbon, Net zerocarbon accounting, carbon footprint, carbon management, carbon neutral, Climate Active / NCOS, leadership, net zero, offsets, targetsBarbara Albert

One of our service offers is helping our clients determine their Climate Active carbon footprint and obtain Climate Active certification from the Commonwealth Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources.

Over the last few months, we’ve received many calls of organisations wanting to find out more about Climate Active accreditation, so we thought it would be a good idea to publish a Frequently Asked Questions about Climate Active. In this article, we will discuss questions about the program in general. In the next blog post, we will go into more details about how to get certified under Climate Active.

What is carbon neutrality?

Carbon neutrality (or zero net emissions) is reached when all emissions in your defined carbon footprint boundary are zero. Ideally, your carbon inventory boundary will encompass as many emission sources as possible so that your claim for carbon neutrality is credible.

You can reach carbon neutrality by:

Reducing your emissions onsite through energy efficiency or by installing solar PV
Buying renewable energy
Buying carbon neutral products and services
Netting off the rest of your emissions through the purchase of carbon offsets

What is Climate Active?

Carbon neutrality can be self-declared, by calculating your carbon footprint, and offsetting it. However, it does not come with the same credibility as getting certified under a Government-backed program. This is where Climate Active comes in.

Climate Active is a highly trusted certification program, which is administered by the Commonwealth Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources. It was first launched in 2010 and was originally known as the National Carbon Offset Standard (NCOS).

Initially, it was only possible to achieve carbon-neutral certification for organisations, products and services, but in 2017 the certification options were expanded to events, buildings and precincts.

Organisations that achieve certification under this program are allowed to display the Climate Active trademark and logo, which showcases this achievement.

What are the benefits of going carbon neutral under Climate Active?

Becoming certified under Climate Active shows that you are taking a stand in terms of climate change and that you want to be a leadership organisation. It signals to your staff, suppliers, and customers that you have a purpose beyond making money. Climate Active certification provides your business with the opportunity to:

Demonstrate that your organisation is a leader by taking a stand on climate action
Align with Sustainable Development Goals
Differentiate your brand and increase customer recognition
Meet growing stakeholder expectations and enhance reputation
Attract and retain talented employees and build internal capacity
Connect better with the community
Generate revenue, increase customer loyalty
Save energy and operating costs
Future-proof your organisation by managing carbon risk, including supply-chain risk

Can I go carbon neutral outside of Climate Active?

If you are looking to achieve carbon neutrality in Australia, the most credible way is to get certified under Climate Active. However, it is not mandatory to get certified under this Standard. You can use the Standard for guidance in calculating and offsetting your carbon footprint and self-declare carbon neutrality. Alternatively, you can use the Standard to understand what your Climate Active carbon footprint would look like, in preparation for future certification under the Standard.

Should we go carbon neutral under Climate Active now or wait till our net zero target date?

If you have a long-term goal to reach net zero emissions, you can fast track this achievement by going carbon neutral under Climate Active right away.

Then as you reduce your carbon emissions by installing solar, or by being more efficient with your energy use, you will be able to reduce your carbon offset purchases. Done this way, you have set yourself an internal carbon price (equal to the price of your carbon offsets), which you can use to get sustainability projects over the line more easily.

Going carbon neutral right away will also signal to the market that you are not working towards a goal that is far away, but that you are taking immediate steps to address climate change.

What is the difference between NGER and Climate Active?

The National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting (NGER) scheme, established by the National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting Act 2007 (NGER Act), is a national framework for reporting your greenhouse gas emissions, energy production and consumption. Reporting under NGER is mandatory for large energy users and carbon emitters, and only applies to scope 1 and scope 2 greenhouse gases (see the graphic below).

Figure 1: Emission sources and scopes – graphic adjusted from the Corporate Value Chain Accounting and Reporting Standard

On the other hand, Climate Active is a voluntary program, and it requires that you report your upstream and downstream scope 3 emissions, as well as scope 1 and scope 2.

There are many more questions to be answered, so stay tuned for part 2 of this blog post series which discusses more details about scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions and what emission sources typically form part of a Climate Active carbon footprint.

100% Renewables’ staff are registered consultants with Climate Active. If you would like to achieve certification, or prepare for certification, please contact Barbara.

5 key considerations for Climate Emergency Plans [includes video]

May 4, 20202020, Adaptation and resilience, Net zeroBarbara Albert, carbon footprint, carbon management, carbon neutral, Climate Risk, councils, net zero, offsets, offsite solar, onsite solar, renewable energy, targetsBarbara Albert

This blog post follows on from the one last week. I recently presented to the Maribyrnong community in Melbourne on emissions trends and barriers to the uptake of renewables, as well as considerations for the development of climate emergency plans. Today’s article discusses five key considerations.

You can also watch me talk about these five key considerations in this 5-min video:

About the Climate Emergency

The problem of rising GHG emissions

Global temperatures are rising and will continue to grow. Without globally significant efforts, greenhouse gas emissions may increase to over 100 billion tonnes annually by 2100, which is double current emissions. Even if all countries met their current pledges under the Paris Agreement, we are on track to exceed 1.5°C of warming (above pre-industrial temperatures), and to then increase by 3-5°C by 2100 — with additional warming beyond.

Figure 1: Projected temperature increase according to Climate Action Tracker

Rising global temperature causes catastrophic impacts, such as bushfires, droughts, floods, severe weather events, heat waves, rising sea levels and disruptions to our food supply.

By how much do we need to decrease emissions to have a ‘safe climate’?

According to climate science, a safe climate is one where global temperature increase stays less than 1.5°C above pre-industrial temperatures. We need to decrease our emissions by 45% from 2010 to 2030 and then to net-zero by mid-century to give us a 50/50 chance of meeting this target. This means that we need to almost halve our emissions by 2030.

Emitting greenhouse gases under a ‘current policies’ scenario means that climate risk will be catastrophic. Incremental change is not enough to get climate risk to an acceptable level. The only way this risk can be adequately managed is by rapid action.

Declaring a climate emergency

Declaring a climate emergency recognises that aiming for net-zero by 2050 may be too late. It means that your climate efforts need to

start now,
increase in scale rapidly and
continue for decades.

In 2016, Darebin City Council in Victoria was the first government in the world to declare a climate emergency. Now, as of the 1^st of May, 95 Australian local governments have made the same declaration.

Following the declaration of a climate emergency, you need to develop a Climate Emergency Plan that sets out how you will help address the climate emergency.

5 key considerations for developing Climate Emergency Plans

Consideration #1: Net-zero ASAP

If your council declares a climate emergency, you should aim to achieve net-zero emissions for your LGA as soon as possible, for instance by 2030. You may even need to target negative emissions by mid-century by incorporating drawdown measures.

Drawdown is the projected point in time when the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere stops increasing and begins to reduce. Drawdown can only be achieved by removing greenhouse gases from the atmosphere, such as through agriculture and forestry.

Consideration #2: Include adaptation and resilience in your plan

Climate change is not some distant impact in the future. It’s here, and it’s affecting us already. Your climate emergency plan needs to include actions on how your council and community can adapt to climate change, in addition to reducing your carbon emissions.

Adaptation for council operations means that built assets, such as roads, stormwater drains and buildings, may not be able to withstand flooding, fire and intense storms. It means that your zoning and planning decisions will probably need to change and that there may be an increased demand for council services, such as water supply or community support for the elderly. Your area may also experience food supply issues. You will need to have emergency response plans for severe weather events, heat waves, flooding and bushfires and need to risk-assess the impacts on your community and corporate services.

Council also needs to help the community be resilient in the face of climate change. Resilience is the ability to withstand and recover from climate change impacts. As an example, you could help the community grow their own food and to develop resilience plans that assist your residents and businesses in bouncing back after a disaster.

Consideration #3: Include the community

Emissions for the operations of a local government are much smaller than overall community emissions. It is not uncommon for council’s emissions to only constitute 1% of overall emissions in the LGA. It’s not enough to focus on how council itself can mitigate against and adapt to climate change; the plan also needs to incorporate the community.

Climate emergency plan for the community should be developed with the community, by involving them through surveys and workshops, and by forming environmental advisory committees.

Figure 2: Emissions for council operations are small in comparison to community emissions

Consideration #4: Everyone must act

While the Federal and State governments have the greatest levers to reduce carbon emissions, local governments are closest to their communities. They play an important role in both mitigation and adaptation.

However, a council cannot alone bear the weight of emissions reduction and adapting to climate change in a community. Householders, business and all levels of government must collaborate to achieve the goals.

Local governments are in a great position to work directly with the community and to help them with addressing climate change rapidly. Council should also lobby other local governments, the state and federal governments to be more ambitious in their climate change action.

Consideration #5: Solutions already exist – they just need to be implemented

It’s easy to defer action by claiming that in future, better solutions will exist. The fact is though, that we already have all the solutions we need to mitigate against climate change. They only need to be implemented and fast.

It’s crucial to extend the scope of a climate emergency plan to a wide area of impact categories. Key solution areas of climate emergency plans are energy efficiency, solar PV, grid decarbonisation, transport, waste, buying clean energy, consumption of goods and services, emerging technologies, governance and leadership, forestry and agriculture, climate risk, clean energy generation, stationary fuel switching, education, and planning & development.

Figure 3: Key solution areas of climate emergency plans

Within those solution areas, the biggest levers to achieve emission reduction in the community are solar panels on as many roofs as possible, energy efficiency in homes and businesses, electrification of space and water heating, electric vehicles, and waste diversion from landfill.

100% Renewables are experts in developing climate action strategies, both for council operations, as well as for the community. If you need help to develop your Climate Change Strategy, please contact Barbara or Patrick.

Top 23 universities’ 100% renewable energy and carbon neutrality/net-zero commitments

Should you include scope 3 emission sources?

Determining which scope 3 emission sources are relevant for you

Steps you could take to determine what’s in and out of your scope

How you could workshop your emission sources

How Council developed its Net-Zero Emissions Reduction Plan

Target-setting approach

The pathway to net-zero for Councils operations

The pathway to net-zero for community emissions

Canada Bay’s success in reducing carbon emissions

States’ and territories’ climate change commitments

Further information

Further information

Capital cities’ climate change commitments

Further information

Further information

Local governments – ambitious commitments

Further information

Ambitious renewable energy and carbon commitments by NSW councils and the ACT Government

Ambitious renewable energy and carbon commitments by VIC councils

Ambitious renewable energy and carbon commitments by QLD councils

Ambitious renewable energy and carbon commitments by SA councils

Ambitious renewable energy and carbon commitments by WA councils

Community climate change commitments

Further information

Ambitious renewable energy and carbon commitments by NSW communities

Ambitious renewable energy and carbon commitments by VIC communities

Local governments in Australia that have declared a climate emergency

Further information

Local Governments that are members of Cities Power Partnership

Local Governments that are members of Global Covenant of Mayors

Local Governments that are members of C40

If you need help with your own target or plan

Are the terms ‘carbon-neutral’, ‘net-zero’ and ‘climate-neutral’ the same or are they different?

How do you define carbon-neutral, net-zero emissions and climate-neutral?

Definition of carbon neutrality

Definition of net-zero emissions

Definition of climate neutrality

Examples of carbon-neutral, net-zero and climate-neutral claims

Reaching carbon neutrality/net-zero emissions/climate neutrality

Carbon neutral under Climate Active

Five factors you should consider when setting your climate target

What comes after net-zero?

Appendix

What greenhouse gases are there?

What is non-CO2 radiative forcing?

How can you reach carbon neutrality/net-zero/climate neutrality?

Offsetting

Which is more popular? Carbon neutral, net-zero or climate-neutral?

How do I become certified under Climate Active?

What responsibilities do you have under Climate Active?

How much does it cost to become certified under Climate Active?

How much do I have to pay a registered consultant?

How much do I have to pay a verifier?

What is the difference between a registered consultant and a verifier?

Could we do any of this work ourselves?

How much do I have to pay for carbon offsets?

How much are Climate Active membership fees?

Do I have to pay all these fees every year?

Does the size of my company matter?

Do I have to calculate my carbon footprint every year?

What are scope 1, scope 2 and scope 3 emissions?

Supply chain emissions/Scope 3 categories

What are the benefits of calculating supply chain/scope 3 emissions?

What emission sources are in a typical Climate Active footprint?

The relevancy test

What is carbon neutrality?

What is Climate Active?

What are the benefits of going carbon neutral under Climate Active?

Can I go carbon neutral outside of Climate Active?

Should we go carbon neutral under Climate Active now or wait till our net zero target date?

What is the difference between NGER and Climate Active?

About the Climate Emergency

The problem of rising GHG emissions

By how much do we need to decrease emissions to have a ‘safe climate’?

Declaring a climate emergency

5 key considerations for developing Climate Emergency Plans

Consideration #1: Net-zero ASAP

Consideration #2: Include adaptation and resilience in your plan

Consideration #3: Include the community

What is non-CO₂ radiative forcing?