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Waitakere City Council and climate change
Climate change will affect Waitakere City - and the rest
of the planet - so here's a guide to what's causing it and
how you and the council can reduce the greenhouse gas
emissions that cause global warming.
What is climate change?
Imagine a black car parked with the windows closed, on a
sunny day. The sun's energy comes in through the windows and
heats the car, but the heat can't escape.
This is like the greenhouse effect, where heat can't escape
through the layer of gases that surrounds the Earth.
The Earth's atmosphere is a blanket that keeps in the sun's
heat. Without the blanket, life could not exist.
But the make-up of the atmosphere, which is a mixture of
gases, is changing. For the last 10,000 years the level of
the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide remained constant.
Since people started burning more fossil fuel for transport,
heat and electricity 150 years ago, the level of carbon
dioxide has risen quickly. It is now higher than it has been
for 450,000 years.
Carbon dioxide is given off when the fossil fuels coal, oil
and gas are burnt.
The higher the levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere,
the more heat is trapped on Earth.
If nothing is done to cut back, the higher concentration of
carbon dioxide will allow the surface temperature of the
earth to increase to dangerous levels. This is called
global warming.
The global average surface temperature of the earth rose by
around 0.7 degrees C during the 20th century. Before that,
it took a thousand years to rise by that much.
The greenhouse effect is expected to raise the Earth's
temperature by 1.4 to 5.8 degrees C by 2100. The impact on
climate will not be subtle, gradual or the same all around
the world - it will have many effects, ranging from melting
polar ice to more droughts, floods and storms. Life will
become increasingly unpredictable, especially for people
growing food and people living near rivers and coasts.
Carbon dioxide is the greenhouse gas that gets most
attention. Another important one is methane, which is
emitted by livestock when they burp. It's also given off
when materials rot in such places as landfills. It has 21
times the "global warming" effect of carbon dioxide.
Deforestation has also had an effect, by taking the carbon
that was locked up in trees and releasing it into the
atmosphere as carbon dioxide. Converting forest into
agricultural land has increased the amount of methane
emissions.
Greenhouse gas emissions can be reduced by
-
retaining existing forests and planting more, to absorb
carbon dioxide.
-
reducing the use of fossil fuels through energy efficiency
and conservation and by substituting with renewable energy.
-
reducing methane emissions where they are produced, and by burning
methane as a substitute for fossil fuel in heat and power
production to produce heat and power.
The UK government's 2006 Stern Review said that to stabilise
the greenhouse gas levels in the atmosphere at an acceptable
level, there would have to be an end to deforestation and a
reduction of greenhouse gas emissions of 75% per unit of
gross domestic product (GDP) by 2050. This would cost around
1% of global GDP by 2050 but would be much more
cost-effective than doing nothing.
Even at this stable level, the concentration of greenhouse
gases would be twice the level it was at before the
Industrial Revolution, when accelerated use of fossil fuels
began.
It is going to take a massive effort to limit climate
change.
However, finding ways to cut greenhouse gas emissions has
many side-benefits. They include better health; more
employment; less air pollution, healthier forests, soils and
waterways; reduced subsidies and taxes that enhance
greenhouse gas emissions; and wider spread of smart
technologies.
What's it got to do with Waitakere City?
Climate change affects not only the environment - it has
an impact on housing, transport, health, economics and land
use. These are all areas Waitakere City is involved in.
Even if global emissions reduction targets are achieved,
climate change is already happening and there are likely to
be more storms, droughts and floods.
Waitakere City is likely to get wetter as a result of
climate change, placing pressure on stormwater systems,
transport routes and other infrastructure. Houses and larger
buildings will need to be sturdy enough to withstand extreme
weather.
Communities and households need to be more self-sufficient
in water, food, transport and energy so they can cope better
with crises.
A changing climate puts pressure on plants and animals. It
creates conditions for new species to invade. The existing
species might not be able to adapt quickly enough to
survive. This threatens the species of the Waitakere Ranges
and adjoining areas.
People in Waitakere will be affected by the policies the
central government takes up as part of its commitment to the
Kyoto Protocol, and region-wide initiatives undertaken by
the Auckland Regional Council and local government groups.
This could include a rise in the cost of transport fuels
and electricity if the government introduces a carbon tax.
How much greenhouse gas does Waitakere City emit?
In 2004, the council calculated the emissions from its
own operations and from the whole community, for the year
2001.
Energy use in buildings accounts for 50% of the council's
own carbon dioxide emissions. Of the rest, 28% is from
street lighting and 19% from the vehicle fleet. In 2002, the
council's emissions were equivalent to 6060 tonnes of carbon
dioxide.
Transport is also the major generator of emissions for the
community, contributing 44%. Solid waste accounts for 20%,
industrial activities 17%, residential 13% and commercial
activities 6%. Total emissions were 900,400 tonnes.
If no action were taken to reduce emissions, they would rise
by 25% by 2010.
What's the council doing about it?
The problem of climate change is so great and so urgent
that it needs the full force of central government to bring
about the changes necessary to slow down the rate of
greenhouse gas emissions.
For a start, it could raise the quality standards for insulation
in buildings and allowing only energy-efficient models of
household appliances and vehicles to be sold on the New
Zealand market.
But councils, communities and individuals can
also also choose to act
in ways that make energy consumption less dependent on the
fossil fuels that cause climate change.
As the representative of almost 200,000 people, Waitakere
City has the opportunity to reduce the city's greenhouse gas
emissions.
Waitakere has consciously built sustainability into its
policies and plans since asserting its identity as the Eco
City in 1993.
The council's thinking on climate change runs through the
full range of its activities.
New council buildings are designed and constructed according
to the council's Better Building Code, which reduces energy
and water consumption and the amount of waste generated,
while providing excellent quality.
When the council plans or revamps urban and suburban
developments, it aims to make it easier for people to cycle,
walk and use public transport.
The council aims to increase employment within the city so
more people have a shorter distance to travel to work - not
only improving quality of life for the workers and their
families but also reducing the overall carbon dioxide
emissions from commuting vehicles.
In September 2006, the council approved the Action Plan on
Climate Change and Energy.
The Action Plan's goals are to reduce the city's greenhouse
gas emissions, compared to 2001 levels:
- by 15% per person by 2010 (this would stabilise the
emissions)
- by 40% per person by 2021
- by 80% per person by 2051.
The goals for the council's corporate emissions are:
- stabilise greenhouse gas emissions by 2010
- reduce by 50% by 2021.
These goals, based on figures from the International Panel
for Climate Change (IPCC) mean that even if the population
grows, the city's overall gas emissions will not increase.
Using a "per person" measure is a way to cater for an as-yet
unknown growth in population.
The city's Action Plan on Climate Change and Energy focuses
on:
- reducing one-person car trips
- exploring renewable fuels for vehicles and heat and power
generation
- reducing the consumption of energy, particularly
electricity
- increasing public awareness and debate about climate
change
- effective planning for the effects of climate change.
Actions - transport
Key actions in transport include support for community
projects such as school travel plans, walking school buses
and workplace travel plans.
Planning is under way for neighbourhoods in Hobsonville and
Massey where people can reach services and jobs locally by
walking, cycling or public transport. The town centre
programme for Henderson, New Lynn and Westgate also places
strong emphasis on access by sustainable transport.
The council is working with ARTA on improvements to the
railway, with double-tracking to be completed by 2009.
The council's Walking and Cycling Strategy has budgeted $4.5
million over 10 years for improvements to cycleways and
footpaths, and $17.5 million has been allocated to the
cycleways programme from 2005-2016.
At the council, a workplace travel plan was carried out
during the move to the new Waitakere Central civic centre in
2006, with various incentives for staff to take up more
sustainable commuting. The council fleet includes several
hybrid-fuel vehicles. The fleet management places more
emphasis on efficiency of vehicle use.
Actions - buildings
The council supports community energy projects such as Eco
Wise West, a project where low-income households are
equipped with home insulation installed by workers who were
previously unemployed.
It supports the EcoMatters Trust's home energy audits and
independent advice on energy efficiency. It has supported
the appointment of an independent eco design advisor, in a
scheme initiated by BRANZ and has published the Sustainable
Home Guidelines and Better Building Code.
The council has waived the fees for building consents for
people installing solar water heating systems and is working
with central government on increasing the uptake of solar in
the city.
The council's own buildings, such as the Massey Leisure
Centre and Library, the New Lynn Community Centre, the Glen
Eden Library and Waitakere Central, use the sustainability
standards outlined in the Better Building Code.
The council's Cleaner Production programme works with local
businesses to improve energy efficiency and reduce waste.
This programme also takes care of the council's own energy
management for street lighting, buildings and other
infrastructure such as the West Wave Aquatic Centre
Actions - renewable energy
The council would like to encourage the development of
renewable energy generation. It carried out an assessment of
renewable resources and found little opportunity for
commercially-viable large-scale generation apart from wind,
wave and tidal energy in the Manukau Harbour.
However, opportunities for small-scale distributed
generation are more promising. As well as solar water
heating and greater use of clean wood burners for home
heating, possibilities include household-scale wind turbines
and solar street lighting.
The council is adjusting the District Plan to make it more
favourable to the development of renewable energy.
Actions - waste reduction
Reducing waste reduces methane emissions. The city's waste
is disposed of outside the city at the Redvale landfill,
which generates heat and electricity in gas engines fuelled
by methane.
Reducing the organic component in the waste stream is part
of the council's Zero Waste vision.
The council encourages recycling with kerbside collection of
plastics, cans, glass bottles and paper. Its Cleaner
Production programme supports waste minimisation and
management plans for local businesses and organisations, and
works with local residential building companies on waste
minimisation.
Actions - education and awareness
The council supports the Sustainable Living Centre run by
the EcoMatters Trust, runs courses on sustainable living and
supports Waitakere City's annual eco festival, Eco Day. It
works with EnviroSchools and is hosting climate change
events.
Actions - adaptation
To prepare for climate change, the council is working with
central government and Civil Defence, and carrying out
research into the likely effects and their impact on council
infrastructure.
Relationships
The council is a member of Communities for Climate
Protection, a programme of the international local
government organisation ICLEI.
This involves pledging to reduce greenhouse gas emissions
and developing an action plan, then implementing the
policies and measures, and monitoring and verifying the
results.
The council also makes submissions on national policies that
affect climate change, such as the National Energy Strategy,
the New Zealand Energy Efficiency and Conservation Strategy,
and proposals on vehicle fuel efficiency labels and solar
water heating.
What can I do about it?
10 things you can do.
Change a light
Replace the three most commonly-used light bulbs in your
house with compact fluorescent light bulbs.
Drive less
Walk, bike, carpool or take public transport more often.
Recycle more
More than half of household rubbish can be composted or
recycled and shouldn't go to landfill.
Check your tyres
Keeping your tyres inflated properly can improve fuel
mileage by more than 3%.
Get smarter with hot water
It takes a lot of energy to heat water. Use less by
installing a low-flow showerhead and washing your clothes in
cold water. Look at installing solar water heating or a hot
water heat pump. By using the sun's heat or an efficient
heat pump you'll cut annual electricity use for water
heating by up to three-quarters.
Avoid products with a lot of packaging.
Packaging causes carbon dioxide emissions during its
production and disposal.
Plant a tree
A single tree will absorb one tonne of carbon dioxide during
its lifetime. This is equivalent to the impact of a flight
from Auckland to Singapore.
Switch off electronic devices
Simply turning off your television, DVD player, stereo and
computer when you're not using them will save you around $90
of electricity a year, and avoid the carbon dioxide
emissions from thermal-fired electricity generation.
Insulate
Installing better insulation is the single most
cost-effective thing you can do to improve home energy
efficiency. The carbon dioxide emissions saved by avoiding
extra electricity or gas for heating or cooling greatly
outweigh the amount generated in the manufacture of the
insulation.
Participate
Get involved in democratic opportunities such as making
submissions on government energy and climate change
policies, and writing to your MP and the ministers of
transport, energy and environment.
Links
BBC animated guide to climate change
US Environmental Protection Agency guide to climate change
Ministry for the Environment climate change initiative Four
Million Careful Owners
Greenhouse gas emissions calculator for households, schools,
businesses and tourism operators
Communities for Climate Protection
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Fourth Assessment
Report - Synthesis Report, November 2007
This report - signed off by 130 nations including the US and
China - says the panel's review of the data led them to
conclude as a group and individually that reductions in
greenhouse gases had to start immediately to avert a global
climate disaster that could leave island states submerged
and abandoned, African crop yields decreased by 50 per cent,
and cause over a 5 per cent decrease in global gross
domestic product.
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Tips.
A Brief Introduction to
Climate Change and Peak Oil for New Zealanders by Sean
Millar and Adrienne Puckey (Size 1094K)
This is an excellent guide for New Zealanders, written by
two concerned citizens - a geographer and an accountant. It
sums up the issues, answers many questions and offers hope
for the future. It is useful for schools, libraries,
community groups and may be freely downloaded and copied.
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