Dramatic cuts to fossil fuel electricity use and a reduction in Canberra's car dependency will be needed if the territory's greenhouse targets are to be met.
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The scale of the ACT's greenhouse gas reduction challenge has become clear with the publication of figures for 2009, the last reporting period, showing that the territory's carbon emissions continued to increase.
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The ACT's first annual greenhouse gas emissions inventory shows that the territory generated 4206 kilotonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions in 2009, an increase of 1.3 per cent on the previous year.
Transport and electricity were confirmed by the inventory as the main pollution offenders, with electricity accounting for 2632 kilotonnes, or 63 per cent of emissions, and transport activity generating 919 kilotonnes, or 22 per cent.
The figures are compiled as part of the territory's ambitious greenhouse gas reduction targets - introduced last year - that call for a 40 per cent reduction on 1990 levels in the ACT's emissions.
If the targets are to be met, cuts in emissions of an average of 206 kilotonnes, or 6.9 per cent, will be needed each year until 2020.
Environment Minister Simon Corbell was putting a brave face on the figures after he issued them, pointing out that they showed each Canberran was putting less carbon into the earth's atmosphere.
''Per capita emissions are continuing to trend in the right direction, with 2008-09 figures showing that emissions have fallen to 11.9 tonnes, compared to 12.1 tonnes in 2008,'' Mr Corbell said. ''This is evidence that we must reduce our reliance on the car and embrace public transport and source our electricity from cleaner options like solar power to see meaningful reductions in carbon emissions.''
But the ACT Greens, who nominated tough emissions reduction targets as a key issue in their Parliamentary Agreement with ACT Labor, conceded that the figures were disappointing.
Greens climate change spokesman Shane Rattenbury said the territory Government was going to have to work harder on renewable energy and transport.
''The ACT has yet to really grasp the policies that we need to really turn this pathway around, so there is a lot of work to do on energy efficiency, public transport and greener electricity sources.''
Canberra Liberals' Leader Zed Seselja, who wanted to see a target of 30 per cent cuts on 1990 levels, said that any effort to improve the figures would see hip-pocket pain inflicted on families.
''This report highlights the gap between the rhetoric of ACT Labor-Greens Coalition to achieve a goal eight times higher than the national carbon tax goal, and the stark reality of increased emissions and much higher prices,'' Mr Seselja said.