ACT Government taking a closer look at scope 3 emissions

The ACT Government is a national leader when it comes to climate action.

There are many ways that the ACT Government is taking action on climate change, from sourcing 100% renewable electricity to providing financial incentives to Canberrans making sustainability upgrades to their homes.

Now, the ACT Government is taking a closer look at scope 3 emissions.

Scope 3 emissions are any greenhouse gas emissions that are produced outside the city as a result of activities that happen within the city. This includes emissions produced from transporting goods into the ACT, as well as emissions that result from their production.

There aren’t many farms or factories in the ACT so most of the things we buy, such as food, building materials and clothing, are made or grown outside our borders. That means that scope 3 emissions make up a considerable part of our carbon footprint.

The ACT Government asked the Office of the Commissioner for Sustainability and the Environment – an independent voice for the environment and sustainability in the ACT – to write a report about scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions for the ACT.

The Report made 12 recommendations for the reduction of scope 3 emissions in the ACT. The recommendations focused on

• strengthening the ACT Government’s leadership on climate action,
• changes to ACT Government operations,
• actions for households, and
• reducing emissions from the construction industry.

The government has considered how it can act on the 12 recommendations in the report and of the recommendations, the government has agreed to one, agreed in-principle to eight, and noted three. The government is now working toward implementing these actions.

One of the most important actions the ACT Government can take is to work out ways to measure and report scope 3 emissions. Until we can calculate what our scope 3 emissions are, it is hard to set targets to aim towards.

The ACT Government will continue to lead by example, actively working towards reducing the environmental impacts associated with its own operations and will work with other state, territory, and national governments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions across Australia.

We can all help reduce scope 3 emissions by buying less and buying local.

Find out more about climate change and what the ACT Government is doing about it.

For more information on the scope 3 emissions report, visit the Office for the Commissioner for Sustainability and the Environment website.