Queensland’s ClimateQ Initiatives to Reduce Carbon Emissions

ClimateQ is the Queensland Governments latest way of bringing their environmental efforts to the next level in the ongoing fight against global warming and energy problems. The ClimateQ response is a collection of initiatives across many sectors to work towards a greener Queensland.

The state has increased its carbon emissions by 37% since the 2007 carbon emission report. The huge increase is primarily because of the State’s economic growth which entails a significant amount of energy consumption. As answer to that issue the Queensland Government has released its Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme to reduce the carbon emissions from the energy sector.

The government will be working in key sections of the community to meet its goals;

Businesses – The business sector of the state is responsible for 31% of the total emissions produced and the government is encouraging a range of energy efficient measures including the use of solar power systems and energy saving light bulbs to reduce the figures. Various programs and incentives have also been implemented focusing on the commercial sector.

These initiatives of the government will not only serve the environment but more importantly businesses themselves. As climbing energy prices place a growing burden on the expenses of many companies,investing in things with a proven cost effectiveness and ROI like solar PV systems is a great way to manage costs.

Infrastructures – Queensland’s expected ongoing population growth will lead to more residential apartments and establishment of many more public buildings. Stricter building standards will ensure that every building will need to consider energy efficiency measures that will reduce environmental impact and utility costs.

Community – Queenslanders are encouraged by the local government to make the switch to solar power to reduce their own carbon footprints and save their money from rising electricity prices. Solar hot water bonuses, rebates and the feed in tariff scheme has been the heart and soul of the program for several years, and Queenslanders has embraced other renewable energy technologies well.

Currently there are over 107,000 solar PV system users in Queensland and that figure will continue to increase.

Major industries – The agricultural sector is the most vulnerable to the effects of climate change, however over 40% of the state’s emissions are currently created by it. The government is now looking for innovative measures to reduce agricultural emissions without compromising productivity.

The bio-sequestration of greenhouse gases in forests and carbon farming offers great potential for reducing emissions and still leaving a window of opportunity for the sector to thrive.

Transportation – Reducing the emission from the transport sector is a major challenge for the Qld. The dense population of state and large land mass leads to 10% of the state wide emission. The government is encouraging the use of public buses and railways to take out residents from their individual cars, bicycles and walking are also encouraged over short distances.

The government of Queensland lives what they preach; they are also aiming to improve energy efficiency from government buildings and infrastructures. Future buildings will aim for a 5 green star rating to reduce their own impact on the environment.