Baxter, Melissa Hope (2014) An energy and carbon audit of Mornington Peninsula Shire Council. [USQ Project]
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Abstract
Climate change poses a serious threat not only at local council level but to the world. With a direct link to local communities local councils are considered to be well situated to provide leadership in the battle against climate change. In Australia, it is predicted that we will endure more heatwaves, droughts, bushfires, floods and more storms. Many of these impacts of climate change are thought to be caused by anthropogenic activities, namely the burning of fossil fuels for energy. Hence, they can be reduced, delayed or avoided by reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Therefore the first step in shaping a climate change response is to prepare a greenhouse gas emissions inventory.
With little guidance for councils for the reporting and accounting of greenhouse gas emissions a thorough review of literature was performed to provide an overview of international and national policy governing the area. Adopting relevant legislation a methodology was established for measuring annual council greenhouse gas emissions from raw data provided by the local council, based on the case study of the Mornington Peninsula Shire Council (MPSC) in Victoria, Australia. The inventory includes greenhouse gas emissions generated by electricity and gas consumption in council owned buildings, fleet vehicles, emissions from solid waste and emissions from landfills. The research has resulted in a carbon footprint of the MPSC greenhouse gas emissions for the calendar year 2013. Total emissions for MPSC operations in 2013 was 25418.6 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent. (tCO2-e).
The results of the carbon footprint have identified waste as the primary emissions source accounting for some 82% of MPSC‘s emissions. The outcomes of the carbon footprint have been used to outline recommendations for greenhouse gas emission reduction strategies for MPSC. The information relating to emissions by source; will assist in targeting programs to support these reductions and form the basis for the development of a MPSC Climate Action Plan. The recommendations for reduction are unique to MPSC but the underlying concepts behind the approach are applicable to other councils. It is therefore hoped that other councils will utilise this methodology to carry out carbon footprint assessments.
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| Item Type: | USQ Project |
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| Item Status: | Live Archive |
| Additional Information: | Bachelor of Engineering (Civil) project. |
| Faculty/School / Institute/Centre: | Historic - Faculty of Health, Engineering and Sciences - School of Civil Engineering and Surveying (1 Jul 2013 - 31 Dec 2021) |
| Supervisors: | Chen, Guangnan |
| Date Deposited: | 19 Aug 2015 05:01 |
| Last Modified: | 19 Aug 2015 05:01 |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | carbon audit, local council, climate change, greenhouse gas emission |
| Fields of Research (2008): | 16 Studies in Human Society > 1605 Policy and Administration > 160507 Environment Policy 09 Engineering > 0907 Environmental Engineering > 090703 Environmental Technologies |
| Fields of Research (2020): | 44 HUMAN SOCIETY > 4407 Policy and administration > 440704 Environment policy 40 ENGINEERING > 4011 Environmental engineering > 401102 Environmentally sustainable engineering |
| URI: | https://sear.unisq.edu.au/id/eprint/27282 |
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