While  the national governments of Australia and New Zealand continue to debate a postponed emissions trading scheme to cover both countries, local government councils in New South Wales, led by Randwick City Council in Sydney’s eastern suburbs, have commenced their own local government emissions trading scheme (LGETS) earlier in 2009. The start of the scheme followed a 12 month transition and adjustment period, during which the councils were able to generate accurate emissions data and registers. Actual trading is to start before the end of the year.
 
The councils have set themselves an ambitious target: a reduction of their emissions by 20% over a five year period. The emissions registers created by the 12 participating councils cover all their core activities including  electricity  and  gas  consumption,  fleet  emissions  and  street lighting. Street lighting alone accounts for around 50% of their emissions.
 
In June 2009, LGETS was recognized by the United Nations Association of Australia (UNAA), which awarded the scheme Australia’s prestigious Greenhouse Challenge Award. Sascha Lafeld, Member of the Executive Board at First Climate, a leading carbon asset management company with offices in Sydney, lauded the scheme: “Australia is one of the countries with the highest per capita carbon emissions in the world. The LGETS scheme is as timely, as it is important. I am encouraged by how much  interest it has sparked among other local government councils in Australia and abroad. Effective climage  change prevention has to start locally if we are to achieve our global climate protection goals.”
 
The  scheme  originates  from  an  idea  submitted  by  a  resident  of  Randwick  City,  which  won
Randwick’s ‘Best  Green Innovation’ (Best GrIn) award in 2006. The implementation  of this  idea
involved intense preparation and negotiaions between the participating councils. As Randwick’s Mayor,  Cr  Bruce  Notley-Smith  explains,  local  government  councils  in  Australia  have  long  been committed  to  environmental  protection  and  the  mitigation  of  climate  change.  “Nevertheless”, he says, “it was a big step for Randwick to commit to the development and initial administration of  this  carbon  trading  scheme.  But  clearly  the  development  of  LGETS  is  a  natural  extension  of the  energy  conservation  and  carbon  abatement  activities  that  so  many  local  authorities  have been involved in for many years.”
 
The LGETS group of councils has set an initial price of AUD$ 30 per tonne for their trading regime and has agreed to adopt the Gold Standard criteria for any carbon offsets purchased and introduced  into  the scheme. A number of councils even set themselves zero greenhouse gas emissions targets for the future. Among  the councils  participating  in  the scheme  are:  Ashfield, Auburn, Canada Bay, Cootamundra, Cowra, Kiama, Lane Cove Leichhardt, Marrickville, Randwick, Sydney and Willoughby.

 
Contact

First Climate
Fritz Wilhelm
Head Corporate Communications
Tel.: +49 (0)6101 - 5 56 58 - 34
Fax: +49 (0)6101 - 5 56 58 - 77
E-Mail: fritz.wilhelm@firstclimate.com

Randwick City Council
Alexandra Power
Media Officer
Tel.: +61 (0)2 – 9399 0610
Fax: +61 (0)2 – 9319 1510
E-Mail: alexandra.power@randwick.nsw.gov.au