Brisbane City’s Environmental Goals to 2026

The long term commitment and the shared vision of the local government and community have led to the development of nine strategic programs to achieve the city’s long term goal of a more livable Brisbane by 2026.

The council’s strong need to act was brought about by 4 important issues that have been present over the years, and had not been addressed yet;

· A continual increase the number of people calling Brisbane home

· Electricity and fuel prices continuing to rise

· the global challenge of climate change

· skill shortages across many industries

Under their new vision the city will be focusing on promoting energy efficiency and environmental protection with a theme of “Clean, Green City”.

The Clean, Green City sub program will focused on be protecting and developing our natural environment through; preservation of our native plants and animals, limiting pollution, and making the c the city “greener” with renewable energy and water conservation initiatives.

The primary goals of the program are as follows:

1. To restore 40% of mainland Brisbane to natural habitat - By appointing natural reserves and enriching native plants by planting and cultivation with community engagement and mobilisation.



2. To reduce Greenhouse gas emissions by 50% - Grants and programs were implemented in the city to encourage residents to install rooftop solar panels and replace electric water heating devices with solar hot water systems.



By adopting solar energy in Brisbane the city is expected to lessen the dependence on carbon intensive energy and so reduce the carbon footprint of the city.



3. To reuse 100% of waste water – The city promotes water conservation and the use of waste water by encouraging the use of rain water tanks and other water saving devices.

The program is directing many effective initiative in a well thought through and compreshensive plan for the improvement of Brisbane, and it seems promising that the city can expect to achieve its goal as long as it gets sufficient support from the community.

Like any other major cities in Australia, Brisbane is not one to be left behind with technology. The city prides itself as one of the greenest and cleanest as it produces a large amount of power through renewable energy sources like solar pv panels.

The city has made a strong effort to encourage the switch to solar power because of several major reasons;

Demand

The increase of energy consumption seems inevitable; the continuous growth in population even in controlled numbers means a continual increase in demand for energy. The weather also plays a vital role in energy consumption, Brisbane is known for its long humid summers and as the weather causes more and more discomfort we all enjoy the comfort brought by high electricity using air conditioners.

Also no matter where we live,there are more and more technological breakthroughs being made and more “life enhancing” gadgets invented we can’t do without ……and these all require more fossil fuels be burned.

The Right Conditions

Brisbane is situated in the sub-tropical South East Queensland region in Australia, where the “solar resource” rating is among the best in the world thanks to the high levels of solar irradiance for much of the year. Temperatures in the city may not always be favorable in the long hot summers for comfort, but the excessive strong sunlight provides the perfect conditions for getting maximum output from a solar system.

Installing solar panels in Brisbane to an average home ensures optimal efficiency many days of the year, and this high return on investment has made it easy to show the economic benefits of making the switch to solar power.

Strong Environmental Concern & “Green” Support

Massive State and Local Government campaigns were conducted throughout the state of Queensland since 2008 to promote widespread awareness regarding global warming and how every household can make a difference. This increased concern for our individual carbon footprint, together with the solar schemes and bonuses being implemented to improve solar panel affordability, has made Brisbane one of the largest clean energy use areas in Australia.