Current Status
Environmental Indicators
Environmental data (indicators) are used to monitor trends and the effectiveness of programs. The main indicators are summarised below.
Greenhouse gas emissions
There are many greenhouse gases, of which Carbon Dioxide (CO2) is the most abundant. Different greenhouse gases have different global warming potentials and longevity in the atmosphere and therefore concentrations are often expressed as CO2-equivalent (C02e).
There is general consensus in the scientific community that atmospheric concentrations of C02e need to be less than 450ppm in order to limit the probability of 'runaway', 'abrupt' or 'dangerous' climate change.
According to the IPCC AR4 Synthesis Report, atmospheric CO2e concentrations were already 455ppm in 2005, of which 379ppm is C02. By June 2009, long-lived greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere were estimated to be 467 ppm, of which CO2 was 385 ppm (this is equal to 3.64 trillion metric tons, growing at 2 billion metric tons per month). See www.dbcca.com/dbcca/EN/carbon-counter.jsp
(tC02e) |
2003/04 |
2004/05 |
2005/06 |
2006/07 |
2007/08 |
2008/09 |
Trend |
Australia i |
565 million |
584 million |
584 million |
572 million |
581 million |
581 million |
~ |
City of Sydney LGA ii |
no data |
5.46 million |
no data |
no data |
- |
||
Calendar year forecast estimate (including abatement measures) from Tracking To The Kyoto Target 2007, Australian Government.
2006 estimate developed by Kinesis for Sustainable Sydney 2030. There are currently no reliable emissions estimates at the local government area level.
City of Sydney emissions
The City's first greenhouse gas emissions inventory was prepared for 2006/07 and represents the City's baseline position against which future emission reductions will be measured. The City of Sydney is carbon neutral. Click here for more information.
Emissions (tonnes C02e) |
2006/07 | 2007/08 |
| Scope-1. onsite gas usage, fleet emissions, and refrigerant leakage |
4,363 (9%) | 4,311 (9%) |
| Scope-2 mains electricity |
35,002 (72%) | 36,344 (71%) |
| Scope-3 events, flights, taxis and major contractors |
9,192 (19%) | 10,319 (20%) |
| Total emissions | 48,557 | 50,974 |
| Electricity emissions | 41,688 (86%) | 43,253 (85%) |
| Non-electricity emissions | 6,869 (14%) | 7,721 (15%) |
Offsets (tonnes C02e) |
2006/07 | 2007/08 |
| GreenPower | -41,687 | -43,253 |
| Offsets - bulk purchase | -5,983 | -7,721 |
| Other offsets | -316 | |
| Scope-3 (fuel and gas extraction, production and transport) exclusions | -570 | |
| Total offsets | -48,557 | -50,974 |
| Net C02e emissions | 0 | 0 |
Electricity
(MWh) |
2006/07 |
2007/08 |
2008/09 |
Trend |
City of Sydney LGA electricity usage i |
||||
Households |
417,885 |
415,712 |
423,915 |
|
Small business |
1,451,819 |
1,478,506 |
1,460,106 |
|
Large business |
2,608,896 |
2,674,848 |
2,631,174 |
|
Council electricity usage ii. |
||||
Total |
42,485 |
40,836 |
37,208 |
|
Per employee |
26.5 |
25.5 |
22 |
|
i. Information provided by Energy Australia for suburbs in and around the City of Sydney. Data is not confined to the LGA and may be based on accruals and estimates.
ii. Information provided by Planet Footprint using data from Energy Australia. Figures vary from previous reports due to improved estimates of street lighting electricity usage and the inclusion of new sites.
GreenPower
2005/06 |
2006/07 |
2007/08 |
2008/09 |
Trend |
|
GreenPower usage in Australia (MWh) i |
688,754 |
1,013,707 |
1,455,887 |
2,144,726 |
|
Households using GreenPower |
281,701 |
565,977 |
748,377 |
940,560 |
|
Businesses using GreenPower |
14,676 |
24,313 |
30,313 |
32,276 |
|
National GreenPower quarterly reports www.greenpower.com.au
City of Sydney GreenPower
2004/05 |
2005/06 |
2006/07 |
2007/08 |
2008/09 |
Trend |
|
Council GreenPower usage (MWh) i |
3,312 |
7,645 |
39,328 |
40,836 |
Purchase pending |
|
Percent of electricity use (per cent) |
~10% |
~20% |
100% |
100% |
||
GreenPower cost ($) |
$140k |
$272k |
$2.3M |
$1.9M |
||
Main provider |
Includes GreenPower used by properties, public lighting. Smaller amounts of GreenPower for fleet offsets and events are not listed.
Fleet
(tC02e) |
2005/06 |
2006/07 |
2007/08 |
2008/09 |
Trend |
Council fleet emissions i |
2,692 |
2,980 |
3,001 |
3,208 |
|
Contractor vehicle emissions |
1,060 |
1,315 |
1,438 |
1,571 |
|
Total |
3,752 |
4,295 |
4,439 |
4,779 |
|
Emissions offset (per cent) |
100% |
100% |
100% |
100% |
|
Main Provider |
Greenfleet |
C02 Aus |
AGL |
Cleaner Climate |
Full fuel cycle emissions calculated using 2008 National Greenhouse Accounts (NGA) factors developed by the Australian Government.
Transport
2005/06 |
2006/07 |
2007/08 |
2008/09 |
Trend |
|
Vehicles per day in LGA i |
701,476 |
689,581 |
697,788 |
689,391 |
|
Staff with travel passes |
321 (21%) |
338 (21%) |
363 (23%) |
408 (24%) |
|
Information provided by the NSW Roads and Traffic Authority (does not include Cross City Tunnel). Based on combined direction vehicle numbers for Sydney Harbour Bridge, Sydney Harbour Tunnel, Anzac Bridge, Oxford Street, Parramatta Rd, King Street, Regent St, O'Riordan St, Cleveland St, and City West Link Rd.
Regional Air Quality)
2005/06 |
2006/07 |
2007/08 |
2008/09 |
Trend |
|
Regional air quality (days standards are exceeded) i |
|||||
Visibility - NEPH |
1 |
3 |
0 |
2 |
|
Ozone - 1hr |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
- |
Ozone - 4hr |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
|
Particulates (PM10) |
0 |
2 |
0 |
4 |
|
Customer requests - Air pollution/odour |
17 |
228 |
200 |
283 |
- |
Data from Air Quality Index (Randwick) www.environment.nsw.gov.au
Legend
$ - Cost
% - Percent
°C - Degrees Celsius
tC02e - Tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent
LGA - Local Government Area
MWh - Megawatt hour
ppm C02 - Parts per million carbon dioxide
