Posts filed under ‘waste’
Federal Budget2023 through a climate and sustainable lens
The Federal budget has provided a range of measures to address cost of living and also add to the energy transformation and address environmental reform. Some important initiatives include home energy efficiency upgrades, establishment of Australia’s first National Climate Risk Assessment and a National Adaptation Plan, establishment of Net Zero Authority, upgrading flood warning infrastructure, reducing transport emissions, investment in hydrogen.
But its measures don’t match the scale needed to address the climate emergency.
Some of the items of note:
- $2bn for a new hydrogen power program, so Australia can be a “world leader in producing and exporting hydrogen power”.
- $1bn in “low-cost loans for double-glazing, solar panels and other energy efficiency improvements that will make homes easier – and cheaper – to keep cool in summer and warm in winter”,
- $300 million energy efficiency social housing upgrades;
- direct energy bill relief of up to $500 for eligible households (ie, those presently receiving Government allowances) and up to $650 for small businesses.
- $28.0 million over two years from 2023–24 to develop Australia’s first National Climate Risk Assessment and a National Adaptation Plan to understand the risks to Australia from climate change, invest in a plan to adapt to those risks, and commission an independent review of the Australian Climate Service.
- $83.2 million over 4 years from 2023–24 to establish a national Net Zero Authority from 1 July to promote orderly and positive economic transformation associated with decarbonisation and energy system change in regional areas.
- $20.9 million over 5 years from 2022–23 for initiatives to decarbonise the transport and infrastructure sectors including Fuel Emission Standards
- $80.5 million over 4 years from 2023–24 to support the Australian critical minerals sector
- Reform of the Petroleum Resource Rent Tax to increase receipts by $2.4 billion over the 5 years from 2022-23.
- $236.0 million over 10 years from 2023–24 (and $13.9 million per year ongoing from 2032–33) to remediate high priority flood warning infrastructure and address critical reliability risks.
- $121m over four years to establish Environment Protection Australia as part of an upcoming reform of conservation laws, and $51.5m for establishmment of Environment Information Australia, to provide data on the threatened species and ecosystems.
- Health: $3.5bn boost to bulk billing that will help GPs provide free consultations to around 11.6 million eligible Australians.
- Welfare: $4.9bn to increase working age and student income support payments including jobseeker, youth allowance, parenting payment (partnered), Austudy, Abstudy, youth disability support pension and special benefit. This will cover 1.1 million Australians. For Jobseeker those under 55 or over 60 will get another $40 a fortnight; those aged 55-59 will get $92.10 more a fortnight.. Increase to rent assistance by15 percent. ACOSS and student organisations have blasted this increase as greatly insufficient.
Synthetic Turf and the Tragedy of the Commons in Moreland
Climate Action Moreland has done a literature review to highlight the general environmental, social and health issues with synthetic turf, and specific issues around a proposal to convert unfenced grass sporting fields at Hosken Reserve in Coburg North to a fenced synthetic soccer pitch. This is the text of our submission to the Moreland Council engagement consultants employed for public consultation to inform the Hosken Reserve Refresh project for Moreland Council.
We have also reported on our blog separately on synthetic turf carbon footprint and total life cycle greenhouse gas emissions, and on the impact synthetic turf will likely have on the urban heat island effect on local residents.
Conversion of natural grass to Synthetic turf at Hosken Reserve should be considered as a catalyst issue for opposing increasing synthetic turf generally in our municipality. We are also very concerned with increasing State Government funding of school oval conversions increasing heat stress risk for children and heating the local microclimate affecting both children and local residents, against expert advice. (See Madden, et al, 2018 (Cool Schools), Pfautsch et al, Sept 2020 (School Microclimates))
We acknowledge the work done by local Merlynston residents on this issue to Help Keep Hosken a place for Community in defence of their grassed open space which they have been quite willing to share the use of with Sporting Clubs as Commons space.
(more…)Natural grass or Synthetic turf? What are the total life cycle emission profiles
Total life cycle analysis of synthetic turf GHG emissions
A local residents campaign in Moreland over conversion of a sporting oval in Hosken Reserve from natural grass to synthetic turf has stimulated debate on the impacts of supporting a fossil-fuel/plastics industry product for organised Sport and Recreation. Although there are many impacts of an oval conversion, the issue that concerns us greatly in Climate Action Moreland are the greenhouse gas emissions. We do have a climate emergency, which has been declared by Council in 2018.
A 2006 Canadian total life cycle emissions study found that a 9000m2 grass pitch would have a 10 year baseline carbon negative impact of minus 16.9 tonnes CO2e while the synthetic turf would generate 55.6 tonnes CO2e (Note: this study assumed -53t Co2e saving at end of life with full recycling – this would not occurr in Australia with most materials going to landfill). A 2017 Swedish total life cycle emissions study on a modelled 7881m2 synthetic field concluded GHG emissions would be 527 ton CO2e for a ten year period.
Update: A deeper reading of the 2017 consultants report to FIFA revealed that total life cycle emissions for a standard FIFA sized pitch may be up to 1500 tonnes CO2e. This comes from examining a graph of total life cycle green house gas emissions for synthetic turf with various infill and various end of life disposal in the report.
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Submission: Australia’s Technology Roadmap not enough to address the Climate Emergency
Climate Action Moreland submission on the Draft Australia Technology Roadmap. This is the document that Energy and Emissions Reduction Minister Angus Taylor has been pushing. The document itself provides a survey of different technologies that can be used in address climate change. But it is insufficient. The decision processes that approve expansion of emissions (such as in new coal mines or gas extraction), or maintain present high pollution levels in existing sectorial processes needs also to be considered. Strategic Technology Roadmap is only one tool that should be used to driving climate action ambition to tackle the climate crisis. We have a climate emergency.
Moving towards zero waste in Moreland by 2030
Time to reduce our waste and the embedded emissions in waste to landfill. Moreland Council has already set a target of zero waste to landfill by 2030. Now we need to make this happen.
Everyone has heard about China refusing to take recycling with high levels of contaminants. We have also had huge stockpiles of recycling materials at Coolaroo in Hume Municipality which has resulted in a number of fires, with heavy smoke blowing over Moreland, residential evacuations, and contamination of Merlynston Creek waterway.
Each year the cost to Moreland ratepayers of the collection and landfilling of general waste from households amounts to over $6 million.
We need to get much better at recycling and reducing consumption with waste packaging and becoming more a circular economy.
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Climate Action Merribek: people in Brunswick, Coburg, Fawkner and Glenroy wanting action on climate change 