The Bligh Government is handing down a suite of new targeted measures to help Queensland move towards a lower carbon future and prepare for the impacts of climate change.
Premier Anna Bligh and Climate Change and Sustainability Minister Kate Jones today launched the $196 million ClimateQ: toward a greener Queensland to rise to the challenge of climate change and buffer the impact of a future carbon price on Queensland families, communities and businesses.
Ms Bligh said the revised climate change strategy was framed in light of the latest national and international science and policy and included $87 million in new initiatives.
She said ClimateQ’s initiatives swept across a range of crucial sectors that were either significant emitters or would be hardest hit by climate change impacts, such as transport, rural and remote Queensland, energy and coal, planning and building, business and disaster prone communities.
“ClimateQ is my Government’s main weapon against the massive global threat of climate change and insulator against the many challenging impacts it will bring,” Ms Bligh said.
“With our widely dispersed population and traditional reliance on coal and heavy industry, Queensland is Australia’s main climate change battleground.
“We stand to suffer the most of any state if we’re not well prepared for and adapting to a future national emissions trading scheme, the urgent need to cut down on our emissions everywhere, more frequent and severe extreme weather events and sea level rises.
“Successive Labor Governments in Queensland have been a national leader on early action on global warming.
“We ended broad scale land clearing (the single largest contributor to Australia meeting its Kyoto target), required that 13 per cent of electricity must by sourced from gas and more recently, introduced the ClimateSmart Home Service to help householders save energy, water and money.
“That hard-earned reputation has been significantly elevated with ClimateQ which has seriously beefed up Queensland’s climate change response.”
Ms Jones said in addition to recent election and budget commitments such as Cleaner Greener Buildings, the Solar Hot Water Program, ClimateSmart Business Service, and the Rural Water Use Efficiency initiative, ClimateQ contained $87 million in new initiatives including:
·$39.3 million for computer-based transport systems to reduce emissions and ease congestion in south east Queensland – new technologies to coordinate traffic signals and on-ramps, control lanes and monitor traffic;
·$5.2 million to reduce car emissions by promoting walking, cycling, carpooling and public transport to get to work, major events and other key destinations;
·$4.5 million for the Queensland Government to match dollar-for-dollar motorists who decide to offset their vehicles’ greenhouse gas emissions – the total $9 million will be used to create biodiversity corridors of bushland across Queensland;
·$2.9 million to accelerate the planning and development of key walking and cycling infrastructure in south east Queensland;
·$8 million to develop Digital Elevation Model mapping to better understand the impact of sea-level rise, storm surge and coastal erosion;
·$6.5 million to enhance planned burn activities in national parks most vulnerable to fire;
·$2 million to help remote indigenous communities prepare for the impacts of extreme weather through training, resources and exercises;
·$1.4 million for a trial of low-emission diesel-electric buses in the public transport fleet;
·$3.5 million for a new information system to help landholders establish reforestation projects for the domestic carbon market;
·$3.2 million to help primary producers so they can better manage climate change risks and take advantage of emerging opportunities;
·$600,000 to develop green skilling and workforce development needs of industries; and
·$500,000 to work with about 50 firms in key sectors to better understand the costs and opportunities of a carbon price on business.
Ms Bligh said her Government had also revised approval conditions for new coal-fired power stations in Queensland to support the sector’s transition to a lower carbon future.
“Under the new conditions, no new coal-fired power station will be approved in Queensland unless:
·it uses world’s best practice low emission technology in order to achieve the lowest possible levels of emissions, and
·it is carbon capture and storage (CCS) ready and will retrofit that technology within five years of CCS being proven on a commercial scale,” she said.
“Much of the sector is already embracing cleaner, smarter technologies and preparing for their widespread use, but we are moving to ensure everyone jumps on board.”
20 August, 2009
Media contact:
Premier’s Office: 3224 4500
Minister Jones’ Office: 3336 8004
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