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

PLANNING & ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA   11 OCTOBER 2016




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PLANNING & ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA                                              11 OCTOBER 2016

           6.1.1    Defined emissions boundaries — greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory
           One of the most important and challenging decisions required in the development of a GHG
           emission inventory is to define the boundaries for the inventory i.e. a list of what is included and
           what is not. The approach taken has been to include GHG emissions from all operations for which
           Council has legislated responsibility and where it has full authority to introduce and implement
           operating policies.
           The exception to this approach is public lighting. The current regulatory framework results in the
           bulk of public lighting assets in Noosa Shire being owned and operated by Energex. This means
           Council does not currently have authority to take direct action to reduce GHG emissions from
           public lighting, although this may change in the future. While Council does not currently have
           authority for public lighting, it has been included in the inventory as Council has regulatory
           responsibility for the payment of energy consumption for this activity. It is expected that the
           detailed Action Plan to support delivery of this Strategy will include an initiative to investigate
           means by which public lighting can transition to more energy efficient lighting.
           The recent independent audit of Council’s emissions inventory included emissions from energy
           used in all Council operated and owned buildings, Council fleet, waste and public lighting. The
           calculations excluded:
           =   Leased facilities (such as the Sunrise Beach Shopping Centre), unless there is a component of
               the activity that generates emissions that are paid for by Council (e.g. Bicentennial Hall,
               Doonella House, Girraween Sports Complex, and Noosa Transit Centre).
           =   Emissions from Council employees commuting to and from work unless they are utilising a
               Council provided vehicle.
           =   Business travel via air or rail.
           =   Emissions in embedded goods and some contracted services.
           The inventory boundaries were used to estimate Council’s current baseline GHG emissions.

           6.2      GHG emission scopes
           GHG emissions refer to the release of a number of gases that contribute to the greenhouse effect
           which is considered responsible for climate change. This includes methane which is particularly
           important in relation to gases released from Council's landfill site. (Refer to glossary for details.)
           The GHG Protocol sets the global standard for how to measure, manage and report GHG
           emissions based on direct and indirect emissions. These are defined as follows:
           =   Direct GHG emissions are emissions from sources that are owned or controlled by the
               reporting entity.
           =   Indirect GHG emissions are emissions that are a consequence of the activities of the
               reporting entity, but occur at sources owned or controlled by another entity.
           The GHG Protocol further categorises these direct and indirect emissions into three scopes as
           shown in Figure 2 below:
           =   Scope 1: All direct emissions from owned or controlled sources.
           =   Scope 2: Indirect emissions from the consumption of purchased energy (electricity, heat or
               steam).
           =   Scope 3: Other indirect emissions (not included in scope 2) that are embedded into goods &
               services; contracted or leased activities.

           Zero Emissions Noosa™ — Organisational Strategy                                          Page 7

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