2016-10-11 S&O Agenda - Attachment 1 to Item 8 - Delegations of Authority

PLANNING & ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA   11 OCTOBER 2016




                                                      Page 12 of 86

PLANNING & ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA                                             11 OCTOBER 2016

           1.     Executive summary

           Noosa Council endeavours to be a positive example to the community by managing its resources
           efficiently and sustainably. This Zero Emissions Noosa™ (ZEN) Organisational Strategy (the
           Strategy) is a further commitment by Council to support the community’s aim for a sustainable
           future and builds on previous work done by the organisation to reduce its emissions over the past
           15 years.
           While there is no legislative requirement for Council to have a plan to reduce greenhouse gas
           (GHG) emissions as a response to climate change, Council wishes to continue to take the initiative
           to be resource efficient. It is worth noting that many other local governments throughout Australia
           have also chosen to take direct, local action.
           Being a coastal locality, Noosa Shire is vulnerable to the predicted impacts of climate change in
           relation to coastal inundation and sea level rise. There are many other potential impacts as well.
           These include habitat loss, species extinctions, reduced water supply, more intense weather
           events etc. It is in Council’s and the community’s interest to mitigate those impacts by reducing
           Council's GHG emissions.

           It also makes good financial sense to take action to reduce Council's direct reliance on fossil based
           energy. With the cost of traditional energy sources steadily increasing, Council has a responsibility
           to reduce its usage as far as practicable, to improve its energy efficiency and to become better
           insulated against future price fluctuations.
           The Strategy aims to achieve an ambitious zero net emissions target by 2026.
           The process to achieve zero net emissions includes:
           =  Calculating emissions as best as possible;
           =  Reducing emissions wherever possible; and
           =  Offsetting any remaining emissions that cannot be reduced.

                                                     emission
                                                    reductions

              mm                                                     _f
                               >                     +       wh            \       =       ZERO
                                      =                      ew”          |            EMISSIONS
                                                                      =>

              emissions         remaining emissions           offset projects
           Figure 1: Extract from Australian Government Guide to Going Carbon Neutral

           Zero Emissions Noosa™ — Organisational Strategy                                         Page 2

                                                                                                   Page 12 of 86