Ipswich City Council

Climate Change

Using funding from the Australian Government, Ipswich City Council has recently undertaken a climate change risk assessment in partnership with other Councils in the western part of South East Queensland. The project focussed on what the likely impacts of climate change may be for Council and community.

Community members are encouraged to read the below summary report and provide any feedback to Council.

Climate Change Risk Assessment (PDF, 903 kb)

Climate change is a long term change in weather patterns across the globe. As well as changes in temperature, it can involve changes in storm activity and drought. Climate change will not necessarily affect the whole world in the same way. Some parts of the world are expected to be impacted more than others.

Climate is very complex and difficult to predict, however the Commonwealth Science and Research Organisation (CSIRO) has predicted that in South East-Queensland we can expect:

more hot days
more intense short duration storms
overall less rainfall
increased risk of heatwaves
increased bushfire risk
increased risk of storm damage
more frequent drought over the next 60 years

We cannot stop climate change from happening now, but through reducing our greenhouse gas emissions, we can work towards reducing future climate change. While working to reduce future climate change, it is important to think about the things we can do to reduce the impacts of climate change. This is referred to as climate change adaptation.

Ipswich City Council is working to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions and is planning for how to adapt to the expected changes in climate over the coming 25 years.

To find out more, click on the headings below:

What causes Climate Change?

Climate change is caused by a number of factors. One of the most significant factors is the concentration of greenhouse gases, particularly carbon dioxide (CO₂), in our atmosphere.

Greenhouse gases are a natural part of our atmosphere and prevent heat from escaping Earth's atmosphere. Without greenhouse gases Earth would be too cold to support human life. If the concentration of gases increases too much, so too does the temperature of our planet.

Since the industrial revolution in the second half of the 1700's, the amount of CO₂ in the atmosphere has steadily increased and is now reaching very high levels. Carbon dioxide is released through the burning of fossil fuels, including coal, petrol and diesel. It is also released by natural events such as bushfire and volcanic eruption.

Because most electricity in Australia is generated by burning coal, the electricity that we consume causes large amounts of CO₂ to be released into the atmosphere.

When measured per person, Australia is one of the largest emitters of greenhouse gases in the world.

What are the expected impacts of Climate Change?

The following likely impacts of climate change in South-East Queensland were identified on the former federal government Australian Greenhouse Office website:

South Eastern Queensland is expected to become warmer with more hot days and fewer cold nights
The average number of days over 35°C in Brisbane each year, currently 3, may double by 2030
Population growth and higher temperatures are likely to cause a rise in heat-related illness and death for those over 65
Warmer conditions may help spread tropical disease further south. This could increase pressure on medical and hospital services;
Growth in peak summer energy demand, due to air-conditioning use, may increase the risk of blackouts
Increased stress on water supply is likely
More frequent and severe droughts, with greater fire risk, are likely
Increases in extreme storm events are expected to cause more flash flooding affecting industry and infrastructure, including water, sewerage and stormwater, transport and communications, and may challenge emergency services
In coastal areas, infrastructure is vulnerable to sea level rise and inundation
Some agricultural crops may benefit from higher CO₂ concentrations however protein content is likely to decline
Frost-sensitive crops, such as wheat, may respond well to some warming however more hot days and less rainfall may reduce yields
Adverse effects for agriculture include reduced stone fruit yields in warmer winters, livestock stress and an increased prevalence of plant diseases, weeds and pests
Some centres dependent upon agriculture may be adversely affected

What is Council doing about it?

Cities for Climate Protection Program

Cities for Climate Protection (CCP) is a Program of the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI). The program helps local governments to cut greenhouse gas emissions through assistance with identifying the emissions for their Councils and communities and setting a reduction goal and developing and implementing an action plan to reach that target. Over 500 local governments from around the world participate in the program.

Ipswich City Council joined the Cities for Climate Protection program in 2000, and set a target to work towards a 20% reduction in emissions below 2000 levels by the year 2010.

Ipswich City Council has completed all of the CCP milestones to date. The final milestone will be completed in 2010. Although Council has achieved significant savings through the CCP program, the work of improving Council's energy efficiency is ongoing.

As of 2008, Council's annual greenhouse gas emissions are approximately 30,000 tonnes of CO₂. For the technically minded, this calculation is based on the amount of emissions caused by coal-fired electricity consumed, the amount of petrol and diesel burnt, the amount of natural gas consumed, and the amount of methane generated as a result of waste disposal from Council operations over the period of a year. The calculation includes scope 1 (directly emitted) and scope 2 (directly caused) emissions, but does not include scope 3 emissions (indirectly caused, such as embodied emissions).

Climate change adaptation

Climate change adaptation is separate to greenhouse gas emissions abatement (emissions reduction). Adaptation focuses on what can be done to cope with changes to the climate, rather than on what can be done to prevent climate change in the first place. Council's climate change response includes both emissions abatement and adaptation components.

In May 2009 Council completed its Climate Change Risk Assessment which was partially funded by the Australian Government. The next step will be to develop a Climate Change Adaptation Action Plan. This project is focussed on making sure that the community and Council will be well placed to deal with the challenges of climate change, such as potential for increased storm intensity, more hot days (heatwaves) and increased risk of drought, to name a few of the potential impacts.

What can YOU do about Climate Change?

Generating electricity causes large amounts of greenhouse gases to be emitted into the atmosphere. Reducing electricity (and other energy) consumption is a great way to reduce your greenhouse gas emissions while saving money at the same time.

Here are some simple things you can do to reduce your energy consumption:

Home

If you find that lights are being left on unnecessarily, label the switches "please turn me off when I'm not needed" or something similar
Fully shut your computer (and other electrical appliances) down when not needed. Turn them off at the wall if you can, since standby mode still uses power
Check temperature settings on the fridge using a thermometer. Running a fridge colder than it needs to be (4°C) is inefficient
Set your hot water system so that it is no hotter than it needs to be
Install a AAA rated showerhead
Next time you replace your hot water system, consider the benefits of solar hot water. In south east Queensland, it could save you 80% of your hot water energy bill
Turn off (or turn down) your hot water system when you go away for a week or more
Set your air conditioner thermostat a degree or two warmer, or don't use it at all
Invest in insulation and other energy efficiency retrofits before resorting to buying an air conditioner (or before increasing the capacity of an existing air conditioner)
Use curtains to shield heat as well as cold (closing the curtains on a hot summer's day can reduce air conditioning load)
Find ways to shade the western side of your house (put up shade mesh, plant bushes or trees, etc) - Remember to choose tree species carefully
When buying electrical appliances, consider the energy consumption of different models and don't buy appliances that are bigger than they need to be
Replace incandescent lights with compact fluorescent globes
For transport, use alternatives to the private motor vehicle (walk, run, ride a bike, catch public transport or carpool)
When replacing or updating your car, ask yourself whether you really need a fuel guzzler, or whether it might be better to buy a smaller, more fuel efficient car and hire a big car/4WD for specific occasions when you need it
Unless you need to use warm or hot water for a specific reason, use cold water to wash your clothes
Hang out your clothes to dry rather than using a clothes dryer
Don't run your dishwasher unless it is full. If you only have a couple of dishes to wash, do them by hand
Recycle as much as you can

As well as the above energy efficiency measures, you could consider purchasing electricity which comes from renewable sources (often called 'greenpower'). Electricity from these sources results in significantly less greenhouse gases being emitted into the atmosphere. Talk to your electricity provider if you are interested in this option.

If you are interested in a home visit by a licensed electrician the Queensland Government is currently running the Climate Smart Home Service which costs $50.00.

Work

If you find that lights are being left on unnecessarily, label the switches "please turn me off when I'm not needed" or something similar
Ensure that you fully shut your computer (and other electrical appliances) down when not needed. Turn them off at the wall if you can, since standby mode still uses power
If you have an urn that is normally hot all the time, install a timer so that it automatically turns off over night and on weekends (if it's not needed at those times)
Check temperature settings on the fridge using a thermometer. Running a fridge colder than it needs to be (4°C) is inefficient
Next time the hot water system needs replacing, mention to your boss that they should consider the benefits of solar hot water. In south east Queensland, it can save 80% of your hot water energy bill
Set your air conditioner thermostat a degree or two warmer
Invest in insulation and other energy efficiency retrofits before resorting to buying an air conditioner (or before increasing the capacity of an existing air conditioner)
Use curtains to shield heat as well as cold (closing the curtains on a hot summer's day can reduce air conditioning load)
Set the hot water system so that it is no hotter than it needs to be
Recycle as much as you can
Find ways to shade the western side of buildings (put up shade mesh, plant bushes or trees, etc) - Remember to choose tree species carefully
When buying electrical appliances, consider the energy consumption of different models
Replace incandescent lights with compact fluorescent globes
Promote sustainable transport at your workplace. Set up carpooling and end of trip facilities for cyclists
When replacing or updating vehicles, purchase the smallest, most efficient vehicle that can do the job. Consider the strategy of hiring a big vehicle or 4WD for those rare occasions you actually need it
Suggest that your company investigate the Ecobiz initiative

Building or renovating? Here are some energy efficient ideas

Orient your house to the North and make sure living areas are located away from the Western sun
Eaves - ensure your house has adequate eaves (also known as soffits) to keep sun out in summer and allow it to penetrate in winter
Insulation - insulate walls and ceiling cavities to reduce transfer of heat into (and out of) the home
Windows - ensure window locations encourage through flow of air. Windows are also energy rated - check http://www.wers.net/
Gardens - choose native plants - they generally need less water and can cope better in our climate
Bathrooms - choose AAA rated taps and showers and install dual flush toilets
Kitchens - choose appliances with a high energy efficiency rating and fit AAA rated taps
Hot water heating - choose gas boosted solar hot water or electric heat pump hot water heaters for lowest ongoing water heating costs and low greenhouse gas emissions

Other Resources or information sources

The following document produced by the Federal Government contains information about frequently asked climate change questions:

Climate Change Science FAQ (PDF, 425 kb)

To find out more about climate change, click on the following links:

Last Updated 29 Sep 2009 |

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