Meeting papers

PLANNING & ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE MEETING                                                                9 DECEMBER 2025


        a. As there are emissions associated with all of Council activities, action to reduce
            emissions needs to be widespread and embedded, guided by a dedicated change
            management program across the organisation with strong leadership support that is
            sustained throughout the target period.
     6. Maintain a clear and dedicated governance structure.
         a. In order to maintain accountability, roles and responsibilities, and momentum to achieve
            established targets, it is important to ensure the governance structure for emissions
            reduction is in place, including re-establishing the executive-level governance of
            emissions reduction actions.
     7. Plan for and resource the effort fully (commensurate with the level of risk faced).
         a. Adequate resourcing is required for both emissions reduction & waste resource and
            recovery in order to unlock the economic opportunities associated with a low-carbon and
            circular economy.
     8. Ensure comprehensive asset monitoring, evaluation, optimisation and performance
        improvement over time, with integration into Asset Management Systems and asset
        maintenance and renewal processes.
     9. Establish a plan for carbon removals and where needed, offsets, from the outset.
          a. Carbon removals will be necessary to balance Council’s unavoidable and unmitigated
             residual emissions. Given the long-term nature of carbon removal projects, early
             strategic planning is needed with incorporation of removals into the broader emissions
             reduction roadmap.
     10. Ensure thorough analyses of financial costs and benefits are completed early and upfront.
          a. Financial allocations should be assigned to actions at the outset, supported by a robust
              evidence base such as Marginal Abatement Cost Curves (MACC), cost-effectiveness
              analyses and pathways analyses, including consideration of alternative funding methods
              and opportunities.
     11. Pair the roadmap with a strong advocacy plan to maximise Council’s leadership impact as
         climate change is a problem of the global commons that requires collective action to
         effectively manage the risks faced.
(10) Deloitte Access Economics (2024) Toward a Net Zero Queensland – Economic impact analysis of the 75% interim emissions
reduction target by 2035. https://www.deloitte.com/content/dam/assets-zone1/au/en/docs/services/economics/toward-net-zero-
queensland.pdf
(11)      The     Treasury     (2025)        Australia’s net    zero   transformation:   Treasury    modelling    and        analysis.
https://treasury.gov.au/sites/default/files/2025-09/p2025-700922.pdf

5. Updated Emissions Reduction Strategy
A climate positive investment roadmap is currently being prepared which models the cost benefits
and co-benefits of actions that can accelerate the reduction of organisational emissions, primarily in
the waste and Scope 3 (supply chain) sectors. This will inform an ambitious, science-based,
achievable set of targets to have a net positive impact on the climate in the near future.

Experienced emissions reduction consultants, 100% Renewables, have been engaged this financial
year to assist in the technical modelling that underpins the roadmap and to ensure that it aligns with
Council’s existing plans and strategies.

Key activities that are advancing as part of the roadmap include:
•    A series of workshops with Councillors have been held to ensure Council is across the latest
     science, data, legislation and policy which underpin the investment roadmap and inform
     Council’s decision making.
•    Development of an updated Marginal Abatement Cost Curve - a tool used to evaluate and
     compare the cost-effectiveness of different emissions reduction actions.




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