Emissions reduction initiatives

Reducing greenhouse gas emissions requires a comprehensive range of cost-effective measures.  The NSW Government has established a number of world-leading emissions reduction programs in a range of sectors.

Energy

• The NSW Greenhouse Gas Reduction Scheme establishes a local market for emissions reductions and greenhouse credits.  Under the scheme, mandatory annual targets based on NSW per capita greenhouse emissions must be met by electricity retailers
• The $150 million NSW Energy Efficiency Strategy contains a range of measures which will assist families and businesses save money and help the environment by reducing the growth in energy use and the state's greenhouse gas emissions
• The Energy Savings Scheme creates financial incentives to reduce electricity consumption by encouraging the adoption of cost-effective energy saving practices by households and businesses
• The Climate Change Fund provides rebates for energy-saving measures, such as solar hot water and insulation, and a range of other funding programs for energy savings in schools, businesses and public facilities
• The Building Sustainability Index (BASIX) requires home builders, developers and some renovators in NSW to meet targets to reduce water and energy consumption
• The Solar Bonus Scheme provides a gross feed-in tariff (FiT) for small-scale, grid-connected, solar photovoltaic (PV) panels.  The objectives of the scheme include encouraging the uptake of solar PV and building the state's green collar jobs sector.  The scheme commenced in 2010.

Transport

• The Cleaner Government Fleet program administered by Department of Services, Technology and Administration was established to encourage the use of smaller, cleaner and less polluting Government fleet vehicles.  The program will reduce running costs and greenhouse gas emissions by 20% and save in the order of $50 million on vehicle lease and fuel costs by 2008
• The NSW FleetWise Partnership (FleetWise) is a voluntary program that aims to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases and other air pollutants from business and council fleet vehicles in NSW.  A highly successful FleetWise pilot was completed in mid-2009 and the program will be rolled out in 2010
• On 30 March 2009 the then Minister for Climate Change and the Environment, Carmel Tebbutt, announced that the NSW Government would establish an Electric Vehicles Task Force to explore opportunities and barriers to electric vehicle uptake in NSW.  The Electric Vehicles Task Force produced a report, the Economic Viability of Electric Vehicles (ElectricVehiclesReport.pdf, 1.6MB).
• The Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water commissioned a demonstration of the conversion of a hybrid car into a vehicle-to-grid plug-in hybrid electric vehicle.  A plug-in hybrid electric vehicle is a hybrid vehicle with additional batteries that can be recharged from the grid by connecting a plug to a household electric power point.  The demonstration vehicle also has the capacity to feed power back into the grid.  The additional batteries give the vehicle greater full-electric range and decreased fuel consumption
• Sustainable Mobility Initiatives for Local Environments (SMILE) aims to change travel behaviour by first understanding the motivations of different transport users and then establishing programs that meet the needs of each specific group.  SMILE will provide a model for sustainable mobility that can be used in other locations
• On Your Bike aims to make it easier to cycle.  The program has two main components: 1) The provision of a framework for collaborative development of new cycling initiatives, including support and co-funding for large-scale bike developments; and, 2) Ride to School and Ride to Work programs being undertaken in partnership with Bicycle NSW.

Agriculture and forestry

The NSW Government is developing mitigation technologies for agricultural emissions.  Substantial research is being undertaken to: 

• reduce methane emissions from cattle and sheep by improved breeding and feed efficiency
• build the stock of carbon in soils by changing grazing patterns, improving ground cover, revegetation, and adding composts and char to soil
• maximise carbon sequestration in trees.

The NSW Government has taken steps to facilitate the introduction of these improvements through:

• carbon rights legislation (amendments to the Conveyancing Act 1919 to recognise carbon rights)
• the Native Vegetation Act 2003, which will reduce land clearing
• developing measurement methods to improve the accuracy of emissions estimates
• providing financial incentives for carbon sequestration under the NSW Greenhouse Gas Reduction Scheme.

Waste

Waste contributes to climate change primarily through the emissions of methane from landfill.  The NSW Government is working to reduce landfill emissions through:

• implementing the NSW Waste Avoidance and Resource Recovery Strategy
• applying the waste and environment levy - a financial disincentive to landfill
• developing NSW Environmental Guidelines: Solid Waste Landfills to promote best practice landfill gas measures
• investigating the use of biofiltration using a range of recycled materials as a cost-effective approach for reducing landfill gas at small landfills.