Car free days in Civic, more trees, a zero-emissions bus fleet, all-electric public schools and government buildings, and zero emissions from gas use by 2045 are just a handful of initiatives outlined by the ACT Government in The ACT Climate Change Strategy 2019-2025 and Canberraโs Living Infrastructure Plan, handed down on 16 September.
ACT Minister for Climate Change and Sustainability, Shane Rattenbury, said the documents outline the Governmentโs goal to cut emissions by 50-60% below 1990 levels by 2025.
โThe move to 100% renewable electricity has been led by the Government โฆ but the next phase of emission reduction does require behaviour change, and we will need to work with the community.โ
Chief Minister Andrew Barr said the Government will ensure the wider community transitions required are managed fairly.
โWe will also be a source of redistribution of income through our concessions programs and our incentives to ensure the transition is just, but itโs not going to happen instantaneously.โ
Other key initiatives in the Strategy and Plan include: a 30% urban tree canopy target for the ACT; transitioning more Canberra homes and businesses to solely electricity; increasing use of sustainable transport; introducing a household food and garden waste collection service; and reducing emissions in ACT Government operations.
With a number of initiatives in the document dealing with transport, Mr Barr said Canberrans will collectively move toward electric private transport as the technology becomes more accessible.
โYou will see people still able to move around Canberra in private transport that will be emission-free, thatโs the future for our city,โ Mr Barr said.
โThe type of vehicle people utilise to undertake that free and easy movement, the 20-minute city, that will change, and thatโs going to be driven by international trends in motor vehicle production.โ
ACT Leader of the Opposition Alistair Coe told ABC Radio Canberra Breakfast the Government initiatives display an โarrogant approachโ.
โIt seems that the ACT Government thinks there is excess car use out there, that there is excess energy use, as if people are enjoying paying for petrol and gas.
โFor people doing the school drop-off, then driving into work, struggling to find a park, paying $17.50, then picking up kids, taking them to school sport, going to the supermarket afterwards โฆ to tell them they shouldnโt be using their car is extreme arrogance.โ
According to the Strategy, the Government will introduce legislation by 2021 to come into force in 2022-23 that will require landlords of inefficient properties to improve their properties before they can be rented out.
Executive Director of Better Renting, Joel Dignam, praised theStrategyโs commitment to minimum energy performance requirements for rental properties.
โFrom our research and engagement with people who rent in the ACT, we know this policy can transform the lives of tens of thousands of people in Canberra.
โBetter rental homes will mean that people donโt have to suffer through winter or swelter through summer,โ Mr Dignam said.
The Strategy currently has $17m of funding for the initial work and initiatives, and to continue existing climate programs.
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