A rapidly changing climate, modified by human emissions of greenhouse gases, is our most significant environmental challenge. In responding to this, the ACT Government, strongly supported by the community, has set emissions reduction targets that are at the forefront of global commitments. We must lend strong and unwavering support to follow through on commitments and action to reduce our emissions in the face of social, economic and political changes. We must continue to value scientific evidence and work actively with partners in other jurisdictions and other nations.
Reducing the environmental impact of our consumption of goods and services also stands out as a major challenge that requires thought, discussion and commitment to changing behaviour across all sectors of the society and the economy in the ACT and our region. As a wealthy and well-educated community, we understand that our lifestyle choices will shape the environment that our children and grandchildren will live in. Our choices profoundly affect the ecological services that our environment can provide for us. The ecological footprint analyses in successive State of the Environment reports show that our ecological footprint is increasing and, at 3.3 million hectares, it is nearly 14 times the land area of the ACT. Most of our ecological impact occurs outside our borders and, from a global perspective, is not sustainable in the longer term. The ACT is taking more than its share.
Overconsumption has been considered in previous State of the Environment Reports. The 2011 report saw that the role of the ACT Government was to complete major strategies around sustainability, including the ACT Planning Strategy,4 the Sustainable Transport Action Plan (now Transport for Canberra) and the ACT Waste Management Strategy.6 These are now in place and, along with AP2, form the framework for working towards a more sustainable Territory.
There are other actions that Government can take and those proposed in the 2011 report remain appropriate. Significant progress has been made in some areas:
- strengthening community engagement in sustainability by providing comprehensive information – the Actsmart sustainability hub is now established and should be fully developed to effectively play this role
- undertaking research into attitudes to sustainability and consumption patterns and behaviours – more could be done
- fostering behavioural change through community engagement with a particular focus on sustainable transport – an area of significant government planning and action
- supporting community organisations to play their part (eg running events that bring people together then educating and motivating them to strive to live more sustainably) – grants are available, but may need to be refocused to encourage this
- developing and maintaining green infrastructure, which is a major factor contributing to the livability of Canberra – work has begun on a living infrastructure strategy.
However, this is not a challenge that can be met by government alone. As individuals and as a community, we must make considered and informed choices in our everyday lives, and move towards levels and patterns of consumption that enable the ACT to reduce its ecological footprint. In doing so, we will reduce our demands on ecosystem services. The 2011 report suggested we focus our lives on wellbeing and shift away from increased spending on goods. The analysis suggested that people may be happier and live more sustainably when they ‘favour intrinsic goals and embed them in family and community rather than extrinsic ones which tie them to display social status’.15
For our community, the challenges become:
- finding better ways of seeking out the goods and services that can be delivered in the most footprint-efficient way. This could mean choosing products that are energy and water efficient to use, durable, and recyclable when they are no longer useable
- seeking out alternatives to consuming products, including cultural, community, sporting groups and volunteer groups such as ParkCare and Landcare
- supporting a community focus on a range of activities for all age groups that will make it attractive to spend time in activities rather than money on goods.
As a community, we have shown that we can make dramatic changes in our behaviour. In a response to the millennium drought, which affected much of south-eastern Australian and lasted from 2000 to 2010, we reduced our water consumption by more than half and our total water use significantly. With a projected decrease in rainfall and increasing population, there is a need for the ACT community to continue its excellent water-saving behaviours into the future. The ACT Water Strategy has recognised that this challenge also requires government action, including innovative ways of using water more efficiently, and providing information and feedback.
In the longer term, these are the kinds of responses from all of us that are needed to ‘future proof’ our community in the face of climate change and the increasing pressures that we are placing on our ecosystems. By acting individually and as a community, and by supporting government action, we can transform our society in a safe, fair and manageable way to a new, more sustainable future. We will show leadership and do our fair share to reduce our global impacts, while realising the benefits of a new, more sustainable economy.