24/08/2021

(AU The Guardian) German Ambassador Joins Calls For Morrison Government To Take More Ambitious Climate Action

 The Guardian - 

Exclusive: Thomas Fitschen says Glasgow summit a ‘decisive moment’ with current international commitments insufficient to limit global heating to 1.5C

Germany ambassador Thomas Fitschen says the world needs stronger emissions targets from as many countries as possible ‘and that should include Australia’. Photograph: Matt Jelonek

The Morrison government faces growing calls to take more ambitious climate action, with Germany’s ambassador declaring the world needs stronger targets from as many countries as possible “and that should include Australia”.

The German ambassador to Australia, Thomas Fitschen, described the latest scientific warning on global heating as “yet another really deafening wake-up call that the time for averting a climate catastrophe is running out fast”.

Australia has not yet firmly committed to net zero by 2050, while its 2030 target remains set at the Abbott-era level of reducing emissions by 26% to 28% below 2005 levels – a stance that has attracted increasing attention from Australia’s allies and partners.

In an interview with Guardian Australia, Fitschen described the upcoming climate summit in Glasgow as a “decisive moment”.

“We will need more ambitious climate targets from as many states as possible – that should include Australia,” he said.

“Obviously industrialised states bear a special responsibility in the fight against climate change, because they are historically responsible for large shares of the emissions already released into the atmosphere.”

While Fitschen said it was not his role to advise the Australian government on its targets, he added that the report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change made it “abundantly clear that the current international commitments are insufficient to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees”.

“It also highlights the crucial importance of making deep emission cuts already this decade, in order to avoid reaching critical tipping points,” he said.

“But as the report also points out, it is not too late – we are at a fork in the road, but if all countries decide to take the path towards 1.5 degrees together, we may still be able to avert the worst.”

Fitschen said Germany believed “that we must take decisive action now to substantially reduce greenhouse gas emissions … within this decade, and of course to achieve climate neutrality by 2050 at the latest”.

Germany has committed in law to achieve net zero by 2045 – five years earlier than its original pledge. Germany sped up its emission reduction plans after a landmark ruling by the country’s constitutional court said the existing measures were insufficient to protect future generations.

The Australian prime minister, Scott Morrison, has adopted a mantra of “technology not taxes” on climate policy, arguing the focus should be on achieving “game-changing” technological breakthroughs.

Morrison and his German counterpart, Angela Merkel, agreed on the sidelines of the G7 summit in June that “technology-led responses are critical to reducing greenhouse gas emissions while also ensuring economic growth and job creation”.

In line with the “accord” signed by Morrison and Merkel, Fitschen indicated Germany was eager to import hydrogen from Australia.

The ambassador signalled, however, that it should be produced from renewable sources – something that is known as “green hydrogen”.

“So, if we take [the IPCC report] seriously – that we have to decarbonise, that we have to bring down emissions from fossil fuels – [then] the hydrogen that we want to have as replacement should indeed be green, yes,” Fitschen said.

He said Australia was “extremely well-placed to become a major exporter of green hydrogen” while Germany aimed to be “a leader in the field of hydrogen technology and future importer of vast quantities of green hydrogen to decarbonise our economy”.

The Australian government has previously nominated “clean hydrogen” as a priority low-emissions technology that could eventually help replace fossil fuels in transport, electricity and industrial processes – but has not defined what this would mean in terms of emissions.

Australia’s low-emissions technology statement forecast the cheapest way to produce it in the short term might be to use gas or “coal gasification” with carbon capture and storage (CCS). It said production methods using renewable energy would become cheaper as demand grew.

More recently, analysts have argued “green hydrogen” made with wind and solar electricity could become cheaper much faster than expected.

In the lead-up to the Cop26 summit in Glasgow in November, the Australian government has been facing mounting pressure to step up its climate commitments, including from the British hosts of the talks.

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Morrison spoke with the British prime minister, Boris Johnson, on Thursday night, and while they mostly focused on Afghanistan, they also discussed climate policy.

The British government issued a statement afterwards saying Johnson had “underlined the importance of global action on climate change” including “setting ambitious targets for reaching net zero and increasing climate financing”.

But a statement issued by Morrison’s office had a different emphasis, saying Johnson “noted Australia’s world-leading efforts to develop technology to help reduce global emissions”.

The US and EU have also been encouraging Australia to increase its commitments.

A senior US climate official, Dr Jonathan Pershing, told Guardian Australia earlier this month that Australia’s targets were “not sufficient” and the country should be considering a 50% cut in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, given the urgency of the climate threat.

The EU’s ambassador to Australia, Michael Pulch, said he “absolutely” hoped Australia and other developed countries embraced stronger 2030 climate targets, describing the coming decade as “crucial” in the fight against global heating.

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(SMH) Scientists Turn To Risky Plan B As The World Fails On Climate Change

Sydney Morning Herald - Nick O'Malley

In June this year Harvard scientists had planned to release a balloon from Esrange Space Centre in northern Sweden and, once it had climbed into the stratosphere, release a small vial of calcium carbonate, the sort of substance you’d normally come across in a dose of antacid.

A NASA balloon launch from the Swedish Space Corporation site.

The balloon never took off. The scientists, whose experiments were to have informed the development of new technologies that might rapidly cool the Earth by reflecting heat from the sun back into space, bowed to protests from activists appalled by the implications of their work.

Some fear a future world addicted to an unnatural method of regulating the climate and the potential of terrible unintended consequences. Some even fear living under a sky whose hue is artificially whitened.

Despite such fears, in the wake of the UN report published last Monday showing that even if the world quickly and massively reduces emissions we are still likely to see warming of 1.5 degrees in the coming two decades, some attention is returning to controversial technological climate fixes, particularly in the field known as solar geoengineering.

Simon Nicholson, an associate professor of international relations at American University who specialises in laws governing emerging environmental technologies, says he believes the report will help overcome the taboo around that research.

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In its simplest terms, the process the Harvard team are researching may one day involve flights of specialist aircraft regularly dumping powder into the stratosphere, where it would linger for months reflecting a portion of inbound sunlight.

Types of solar geoengineering have proven attractive to researchers because they appear to be physically and economically viable and rapidly scalable.

We know for example, that when Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines exploded in volcanic eruption in 1991, it cooled the planet by 0.6 Celsius for about 15 months due to the particulate matter it disgorged into the atmosphere.

 Modelling suggests it would cost billions of dollars to maintain a fleet of aircraft to mimic that effect - yet that is small change compared with the sums typically bandied about in climate debates.

Increasing cloud cover to help cool the Great Barrier Reef is one type of geoengineering being considered for testing. Credit: Photo: Bloomberg

The arguments against the process are compelling too.

Nicholson notes that many of those engaged in the climate movement want to educate humans to live within natural limitations. “Anything that seems to smack of the type of hubris that got us into this mess in the first place, like heavily industrial, highly capitalist types of pathways forward, tend to be viewed sceptically.”

A second concern is the “moral hazard” such technologies may present by diverting research and attention from efforts to curb emissions and present industry with a continued licence to pollute the planet.

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Opponents also point out that if such technology was deployed the world may become dependent on it, meaning we would need to keep feeding the atmosphere with cooling particles without fully understanding the long-term effects.

Michael Mann, one of the world’s leading climate scientists and communicators, and Oxford physicist Ray Pierrehumbert, likened the process to “climate methadone” in a recent column in The Guardian newspaper.

“When it comes to a system we don’t understand perfectly, the principle of unintended consequences reigns supreme,” wrote Mann in his recent book The New Climate War. “If we screw up the planet with botched geoengineering attempts, there is no ‘do-over’.”

Nicholson believes the new climate report suggests we no longer have the luxury of not investigating geoengineering. “We’re in a position now where it’s not just the risks of solar geoengineering versus a world where climate change has been dealt with in other ways,” he says.

“That’s not what the [Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change] report is putting on the table for us. Instead what the IPCC is saying is climate risk is going to get worse moving forward, even if we do everything that the IPCC is recommending to reduce emissions.

“I think we may reach a point down the road where solar geoengineering is going to be one of the most just things that can be done to help those who are most vulnerable to climate change.”

Given that, he believes proper research and protocols should be developed now when it can be controlled, before the climate crisis escalates.

He believes the argument that existing international law makes the research illegal is a misreading of the relevant treaties. “I’m in the group of people who thinks that the time has come to stop the fighting over whether small-scale investigation into solar geoengineering is necessary. I think it actually is required at this point.”

In March this year, before the Harvard team abandoned its test flight, Dr Dan Harrison of Southern Cross University led a team of scientists on a live-aboard barge onto a section of the Great Barrier Reef off the coast of Townsville to test specialised new equipment that might one day help cool the reef and avert coral bleaching.

Harrison’s team is exploring a process known as cloud brightening, technically a form of solar geoengineering, though on a far smaller and less controversial scale.

It involves blasting seawater high into the air using specialised pumps and nozzles to create a mist of ultra-fine particles. Once airborne the droplets evaporate, leaving behind billions of salt crystals that can form the nuclei of cloud droplets.

These in turn would make clouds brighter and more dense, cooling the reef below by reflecting more of the sun’s rays and through evaporation.

Harrison’s hope is that one day equipment like this could be moored at key points along the reef and deployed on what he calls “ships of opportunity” - vessels that already ply the reef, as well as carefully placed barges - to cool the reef as heat waves approach, sparing the delicate coral below.

As with the Harvard team’s stratospheric aerosol injection, cloud brightening has already been observed in the field by chance, caused by the wakes of ships tracking across the ocean.

So far, he says, the group’s two field trials - the first in which such technology has been deployed outside a laboratory - suggest it could work.

In March the team showed that each of the 300 nozzles it deployed produced around 3 trillion droplets per second and drones detected the plume created 12 kilometres from the blasters.

Harrison doubts a process like this is viable to cool the Earth, but the team’s results suggest it may help protect the reef. “I view it as life support or something, treating the symptoms while hopefully the cause is taken care of,” he says.

“Emissions reductions to reduce climate change aren’t going to happen quickly enough to save the reef, which is why we have this whole program now.”

Harrison believes the argument that such technologies might distract from efforts to combat climate change is “nonsense”: “We haven’t had these geoengineering solutions to hand with any real chance of working or any proof of their efficacy, and yet we’ve done very little to reduce our carbon emissions or change the trajectory of climate change.”

In the face of the speed of climate change, he says, scientists have a responsibility to explore all the options we have that might help us fight it. “It’s now a risk versus risk equation,” he says.

“The question of whether we should implement any of these ideas is one for wider society, but the scientists need to do the research to be able to provide the right information to allow that debate to occur.

“You need knowledge as a foundation, instead of speculation.”

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(AU The Guardian) Solar Power In Australia Outstrips Coal-Fired Electricity For First Time

The Guardian - 
For a fleeting moment on the weekend more than half the nation’s electricity generation came from solar power, but experts say Australia is still a long way from peak renewable energy
Solar briefly provided the majority of Australia’s electricity generation on the weekend, overtaking coal-fired power for the first time. Photograph: David Trood/Getty Images
Solar briefly provided the majority of Australia’s electricity generation on the weekend, overtaking coal-fired power for the first time.
The national electricity market reached a new milestone on Sunday, with solar power outstripping energy generation from coal for the first time since the market was set up two decades ago.

The crossover point lasted for only a few minutes, as low demand and sunny skies on Sunday meant the contribution from coal dropped to a record low of 9,315MW just after noon, while solar provided the dominant share with 9,427MW.

 Dylan McConnell, a research fellow at the University of Melbourne’s climate and energy college, said that for a brief moment renewable energy represented 57% of national electricity generation.

“This is what I unofficially call ‘record season’,” McConnell said. “It’s actually still pretty early in the season [to get these numbers] but in spring or the shoulder seasons you have the combination of low demand, because there’s no heating or cooling, and then nice weather on the weekend.

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“Those factors combine, and you get these giant shares of renewable energy that generally push out coal.”

While McConnell said it was only “fleeting” and that “Australia was a long way from peak renewable energy”, energy prices also went negative on Sunday from 8.30am through to 5pm.

Though the exact price differed by jurisdiction, it means producers were getting paid to consume, or energy producers were paying to keep running.

Unlike more nimble solar and wind producers, coal generators are particularly hurt when prices turn negative. The costs associated with shutting down and restarting coal generators are prohibitive, meaning operators will choose to keep running even at a loss.

According to datalogger NEMlog, South Australia had 100% of its energy needs met by wind and solar while Victoria would have met 102% of state demand had operators not been forced to switch off during the period of negative prices.

Energy analyst Simon Holmes à Court said the overall proportion of renewable energy – solar, wind and hydro – would have been higher in the energy mix but wind producers chose to shut down to avoid the price hit.

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“There was a significant amount of curtailment,” he said. “What it shows is that there’s already more renewables that could have gone into the grid if the coal plants were more flexible and transmission was upgraded.”

The development coincides with calls from the Clean Energy Investor Group (CEIG) – an 18-member body that advocates for investors in large-scale renewable energy projects – for financial reforms to “align Australia with international markets” and “unlock” new investment.

Modelling conducted for the group by Rennie Partners found that Australia needs 51GW of renewable energy generation by 2042 if it is to meet its commitments under the Paris Climate Change agreement but that only 3GW of new wind and solar projects have been committed, leaving a 48GW shortfall.

Simon Corbell, the chief executive of CEIG, said governments and regulators should bring Australia’s investment guidelines into line with global markets.

“Clean energy investors currently face significant risks in the NEM, which is holding back the capital needed,’’ Corbell said.

“To unlock an investment pipeline worth $70bn we need effective market reforms and policy certainty, which could also save up to $7bn in capital costs, or up to 10% of the cost of Australia’s clean energy transition.”

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23/08/2021

(AU ABC) Climate Change Means More Floods, Fires And Heatwaves. Some Communities Are Already Adapting

ABC Radio National - Cathy Van Extel

Queensland's Logan City has been recognised for its urban greening efforts, including planting more trees. (Supplied: Logan City Council)
Climate scientists have warned Australia that it must pick up the pace on its climate adaptation efforts.

The latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report, described as a "code red" for humanity, has forecast global warming will likely hit 1.5 degrees Celsius by about 2035 if nothing changes.

However, Australia's land areas have already warmed by about 1.4C since 1910, according to the report.

IPCC vice chairman and director of the Australian National University Climate Change Institute Mark Howden says adaptation needs a greater focus.

"We are actually heading towards this very, very quickly and we do really need to start thinking and considering ... action, not just in terms of emission reduction but also in terms of adaptation for those futures we can't avoid at this point."

IPCC report and Australia

The IPCC defines adaptation as "the process of adjustment to actual or expected climate and its effects". The goal is to take steps to protect communities and reduce their vulnerability to the harmful effects of climate change.

There is concern Australia is well behind in its efforts to adapt to the effects of more intense and frequent weather events, according to Sarah Boulter, associate professor in Climate Adaptation at the University of Tasmania.

"There's been a lot of discussion about where climate change is going and where our responsibilities lie in terms of mitigation and it has put a bit of a shadow over the ability to think clearly around adaptation," she says.

There are signs of a shift though. "In the past 12 to 18 months, there really has been, certainly at the federal level, a real effort to start changing that conversation," she says.

Indeed the federal government is currently developing a new National Climate Resilience and Adaptation Strategy ahead of the Glasgow Climate Summit, which begins in late October.

But Professor Boulter says the IPCC report has made it clear that it's time to act.
"The longer time goes on, the harder it becomes to decide what it is we're going to do and how much work we have to do.
"So I think for Australia we are really at a critical point, we need to start getting on the ground and taking some action."

So who's thinking ahead and taking action? Across the country, there are many interesting and innovative approaches to adaptation already underway.

Thinking outside the box

Heavy rainfall, river floods and bushfires are projected to worsen across Australia.

In March 2021, New South Wales experienced its worst flooding in six decades.

On the NSW Mid North Coast, elderly residents at the Dunbogan Caravan Park were stranded by floodwaters rising faster and higher than expected.

Elderly residents at NSW's Dunbogan Caravan Park were stranded by floodwaters in March 2021. (Supplied: Ritchie Villages)

And in 2019 many of those residents, most of whom are vulnerable pensioners, were forced to evacuate as bushfires narrowly missed the caravan park.

Owner Cicely Sylow has engaged an architect and engineers to design a unique fire-resistant floating home that could replace the current mobile buildings in the caravan park.

"We have really elderly people who don't want to be in homes that are 3 metres above the ground given the amount of stairs you would need to climb to get into your home every day," she says.

"So we are looking at a home that could be .... close to ground level that could respond to a flood event by floating ... and would be constructed with bushfire resistant materials and design."

James Davidson, from climate adaptation architectural firm JDA Co, is looking at ways to float the cheap, portable homes found in caravan parks that are not typically flood resilient.

Architects are trialing a floating home that could be installed at Dunbogan Caravan Park in NSW. (Supplied: Ritchie Villages)

"The idea is not to allow people to stay during a flood, they've got to evacuate — but if they do get caught, then hopefully they will be safe."

Davidson was inspired by floating portable homes on the Mississippi River in the US.

"It's been done before so it's not a totally crazy idea. We've just got to get the engineering right."

Innovative ideas like this can make a big difference, according to Professor Boulter.

"There's always that question of whether we should be living in certain places or not, but there are certainly some building design things that can be done to manage the risks from extreme events," she says.

Investor concern

Brisbane Airport's second runway, which opened last year, was one of the largest aviation construction projects undertaken in Australia.

Brisbane Airport's new runway was built with climate adaptation in mind. (Supplied: Brisbane Airport)
Like most of the nation's airports, it is based on the coast and is highly vulnerable to the effects of climate change, including sea level rise, storm surge, inundation and rising temperatures.

Accordingly, the new runway was built 1.5 metres above the minimum regulatory requirements, channels were designed to reduce tidal flooding, and a seawall was constructed to buffer large waves.

Brisbane Airport Corporation (BAC) project director Paul Coughlan, who oversaw the construction of the $1.1 billion second runway, says climate adaptation was incorporated into the design from the outset.

"For our board, climate change adaptation was a really critical requirement ...  I can't remember how many times I had to brief them and really convince them that their investment [was] a good investment," he says.

Now BAC is assessing its older airport infrastructure, while the implementation of the climate adaptation work has attracted interest from other domestic and international airports.

Professor Boulter says the design life of most transport infrastructure — airports, ports, roads, rail and bridges — will be impacted by climate change.

"If it was meant to last for 80 years, under increasing climate change it might only be fit for purpose for 60 years," she says.

"There's an economic problem then." 

Green cities

Climate change is making heatwaves longer, hotter and more likely. They are also becoming more dangerous.

According to the Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA), heat stress kills more Australians than all other natural disasters combined.

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For example, in the 2009 heatwave in South Australia and Victoria, 500 deaths during that period were attributed to heat stress. One of the key ways to counter the effects of climate change and make our cities more liveable as temperatures rise is through urban greening, says GBCA chief executive Davina Rooney.

She points to studies in Western Sydney that show that having more trees in a street can lead to temperatures 10C lower.

Professor Boulter agrees. She says finding new ways for urban areas to stay cool is a critical part of how we adapt to extreme temperatures.

Queensland's Logan City, south of Brisbane, has been recognised for its urban greening efforts. They increased the city's tree canopy by 12 per cent, going from 41 per cent in 2016 to 53 per cent in 2020. 

Brisbane's Urban Forest is a high rise apartment block covered in native plants. (Supplied: Aria Property)

Deputy Mayor Jon Raven says the city has made climate resilience a priority.

"The way the community sees that is by more tree canopy, more trees planted and having an environment which feels natural and welcoming, rather than just being a concrete heat sink," he says.

Sydney company Junglefy is famous for its breathing walls and rooftop gardens, both great examples of urban greening.

Owner Jock Gammon explains that plants can reduce the urban heat island effect — in which hard surfaces absorb heat during the day and release it in the evening.

"It requires a lot of energy to cool that air back down, and typically our cities are four to seven degrees hotter than the surrounding bushland," he says.

"The plants stop those hard surfaces from heating up and they also release moisture.

"If you think of those leafy suburbs, they are always cooler and more inviting than some of those newer suburbs that don't have that green canopy."

Logan City has been recognised for its urban greening efforts including numerous tree plantings. (Supplied: Logan City Council)

There are other good examples, says Rooney, including Brisbane's Urban Forest project which will plant 1,000 trees and 20,000 native plants, and a plan by City of Melbourne to plant 3,000 street trees with an aim to lower the temperature by 4C.  

"But there's a huge opportunity for us to increase the number of trees," she says.

Protecting coastal communities

Australia's 36,000 kilometre of coastline is home to the vast majority of the population. It's also under threat from climate change.

The Australian Coastal Councils Association (ACCA), which has 200 members, is calling for a coordinated national approach to managing the impacts of rising sea levels, extreme weather events, storm surges and riverine flooding.

Coastal properties, like the Bowen Golf Course, are tackling the threat of rising sea levels. (Supplied: Whitsundays Climate Change Innovation Hub)

In a recent member survey, 90 per cent of the 100 respondents had been impacted by coastal erosion hazards in the past five years.

ACCA chief executive Alan Stokes says coastal management is largely being left to local councils — the least resourced of all levels of government — and some are struggling. 

"We heard of one small council in South Australia that was spending more than 30 per cent of its budget on coastal management. Now that's just unsustainable," he says.

For some communities, the only option will be a managed retreat, one of the few adaptation responses available. 

Retreat is an emotionally charged and politically difficult option. It also raises vexed questions of who pays.

The small Tasmanian beach town of Snug, 30 kilometres south of Hobart, is facing such a prospect.

The Tasmanian community of Snug may need to investigate a managed retreat as sea levels rise. (Supplied: Kingborough Council)

Kingborough Council environmental manager Jon Doole says modelling predicts the area will be inundated by 2100 and difficult decisions will have to be made.

"What we've got to work out is what may be the future of those houses [under threat]. Can they be protected or do we need to think about retreat?" he says.

He says the community will need to be consulted about the risk it faces. It will be a difficult but important conversation. 

"In the upcoming year for Snug, we're really hopeful that we will get a grant that we've applied for that will really help us put more resources into having community forums."

Professor Boulter says there has been a lot of good planning by councils but there is only so much that can be done to preserve the coastline.

"If we want to protect our coastline, then we have to make decisions that are very expensive and are also likely to change [its] character," she says.

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(AU ABC) The Councils Leading The Charge On Climate Change To Reach Net Zero Emissions By 2030

ABC News - Claire Moodie

Town of Victoria Park mayor Karen Vernon says the council is committed to achieving net zero emissions by 2030. (Supplied: Town of Victoria Park)


Key Points
  • Local councils have taken the fight against climate change into their own hands
  • But they want financial help to prevent passing the cost on to ratepayers
  • Australia's peak local government body is lobbying for a $200 million war chest to help lower emissions
As the climate wars drag on at a federal level, local councils across the country are taking the initiative and doing it for themselves. 

Local governments, best known for the three "Rs" of roads, rates and rubbish, are adding a fourth "R" to the list – risk from climate change.

More than 100 councils across the country have declared a climate emergency, while dozens more are investing in renewables and setting ambitious targets for cutting emissions.

"Our community has been telling us this for a long time, they want to take action on climate change," said Karen Vernon, the mayor of Victoria Park, a small local authority bordering Perth's Swan River.
"Everyone has to take action on climate change, and we've got to do it together. 
"It can't just be left to one level of government."

Councils take lead on climate

In a video to ratepayers on the council's Facebook site, the mayor stands on the roof of the council's headquarters, surrounded by 250 solar panels, announcing a new climate emergency plan.

"This is a blueprint for how our council, as an organisation, will get to net zero emissions by 2030," Cr Vernon told the ABC.

The battle is already well underway, not just to cut the council's footprint but to encourage residents to get onboard for the journey.

Victoria Park mayor Karen Vernon says the council has set a target to double the number of trees in the area. (Supplied: Town of Victoria Park)

The community is being urged to help double the town's "tree canopy" to cool down the streets at the height of summer, as well as capture carbon.

The council has pledged to hit its target — as much as possible — by what's called "direct action" rather than relying on carbon offsets.

Even for this small council, the predicted impacts of climate change – more extreme heat, bushfire and floods – are a major concern.

The Town of Victoria Park is one of 103 councils nationwide that have declared a climate emergency. (Supplied: Town of Victoria Park)

"We've got over six kilometres of Swan River frontage so it's really important that we manage that, because rising sea levels is another indicator of climate change," Cr Vernon said.

A few kilometres up the road, at the City of Canning in Perth's southern suburbs, the council has teamed up with the operators of a data-driven app to educate residents on how to measure and reduce their emissions.

Councils are trying to educate residents on how to reduce their household footprint. (ABC News: Claire Moodie)

Household emissions are said to make up around one-fifth of Australia's total. 

The City of Canning is one of 28 councils across Australia which have partnered with the app program, according to its founder Vanessa Rauland.

"The average footprint of a household is around 15 tonnes [of greenhouse gases]," Ms Rauland said.

Vanessa Rauland says councils are using her company’s app to measure the impact of their low carbon projects. (ABC News: Claire Moodie)

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"But there are so many things you can do to reduce your emissions.

"I think it's super encouraging seeing how many councils are really stepping up and taking the lead on climate action."

It is nearly five years since Darebin City council in Melbourne became the first in the world to declare a climate emergency.

Since then, Darebin has become certified as carbon neutral.

This year,  it struck a deal to collaborate with 45 other Victorian councils to source all its power from wind energy.

"Effectively, it's the same as taking 90,000 cars off the road or about 45,000 houses off the fossil fuel grid,"  said Darebin councillor Trent McCarthy, who led the council to declare the climate emergency back in 2016.

Councils need financial help to avoid passing costs on to ratepayers
But not all climate-conscious councils are opting to join the emergency declaration movement.

City of Canning mayor Patrick Hall says councils could do with more government support to become carbon neutral. (ABC News: Claire Moodie)

City of Canning mayor Patrick Hall said the council had been working behind the scenes to reach a target of net zero by 2030.
"We don't feel it's our role to be declaring a climate emergency, we let others work in that space," he said.
The mayor said the local authority was already saving 350 tonnes of greenhouse gases per year through investing in solar at 12 of its council buildings, among other low-carbon projects.

But Cr Hall said the council would need more support to meet the massive upfront costs of some of the measures, including changing nearly 9000 street lights around the suburbs to energy-efficient LED lamps.

"Now if we changed those over to LED, and we hope to do that at some stage, it would save us more than $400,000 a year by year 4," he said.

The federal and state governments offer grants to councils to change their street lighting to LED, slashing power costs and CO2 emissions. (ABC News: Armin Azad)

"It's an enormous saving — not only to the community, but for the environment — but we simply can't fund it by ourselves."

It is believed many councils — especially small, regional local authorities — will need significant financial help to become carbon neutral, without passing the cost on to ratepayers. 

The Australian Local Government Association wants a $200 million federal fund over four years to help more of the country's 537 councils adapt to climate change.

The Town of Victoria Park says tree planting is a big part of its strategy to achieve net zero by 2030. (Supplied: Town of Victoria Park)

Karen Vernon of the Town of Victoria Park said the council had estimated that it would cost around $8 million to become carbon neutral by 2030.
"I wouldn't like people to think that us addressing a climate emergency is something that only comes at a cost of higher rates," she said.
"I believe it doesn't have to…we just need to be innovative and agile about how we do it.

"As time goes by there will be new innovations that we can look to adopt that will hopefully drive even greater efficiencies in how we deliver our climate emergency plan."

The WA Government offers grants to councils to upgrade their street lights to LED. (ABC News: Armin Azad)
As more councils set targets to lower their emissions, there is a push for greater leadership and support from the state and federal governments.

Portia Odell is director of the Cities Power Partnership, a coalition of 147 councils nationwide who are committed to climate action.

"Councils would really like to see the federal government step up, implement strong climate policy and really super-charge local action, unlock funding and drive new investment," Ms Odell said.

Call for WA government to partner with councils on clean energy projects

That investment would be money well spent according to Brad Pettitt, a WA Greens MP who was previously the mayor of Fremantle — a council that became carbon neutral a decade ago.

"We've seen local governments take the leadership on climate change in a way that state and federal governments can't, partly because local government is not mired in party politics," he said. 

"It's actually about local communities getting on and doing things."

Greens MP and former Fremantle mayor Brad Pettitt says the state government needs to support local councils to curb their emissions. (ABC News: Claire Moodie)

WA government agencies do offer grants to local councils for a range of climate action measures including tree planting, making street lighting more energy-efficient and reducing waste to landfill.

But Mr Pettitt said both the state and federal governments needed to do far more by partnering with councils on clean energy projects.

"We've seen in Fremantle the investments in clean energy, we've actually seen our electricity costs come down so whilst there is that initial upfront cost, the pay back is really quick, just a number of years," he said.
"It brings down costs for ratepayers, reduces our carbon emissions, it's a win-win."
The West Australian Local Government Association (WALGA) says LGAs representing 93 per cent of the state's population have committed to taking at least one significant action to address climate change.

"There are two key hurdles local governments face," said WALGA president Tracey Roberts.

"[They are] lack of resources to take action — especially for small local governments in the regions — and lack of knowledge, skills and expertise to address the challenges of climate change."

Among many other initiatives, WALGA is lobbying for funding to plant 600,000 trees at a cost of $20 million.

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