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 became clear last night with the publication of figures for 2009 showing that the territory's carbon emissions continued to increase in the last reporting period.
The ACT's first annual greenhouse gas emissions inventory shows that the territory generated 4,206 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 2,632 kilotonnes of emissions and transport activity generating 919 kilotonnes.
The figures are compiled as part of the territory's ambitious greenhouse gas reduction targets, introduced last year that calls 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 each year until 2020.