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Managing carbon
Managing the carbon exchange includes adaptation and mitigation measures and building resilience to future changes in the climate, including influencing a shift in the carbon exchange by reducing emissions, and increasing carbon capture and storage. Options relevant to our region include:
• using renewable, low carbon electricity sources;
• alternative primary production;
• reducing mining fugitive emissions;
• managing cattle digestion to reduce methane emissions;
• savanna burning;
• carbon forestry;
• waste to energy projects; and
• building resilience in ecosystem processes.
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Our region is known for its many days of sunshine per year. As an example Townsville is celebrated for having around 300 days of sunshine per year and was a location for the Australian Solar Cities programme( Townsville City Council, 2015). Renewable solar power has been identified as an opportunity for our region with proposals at Clare, Collinsville, The Pinnacles and Charters Towers having the potential to power tens of thousands of homes. |
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1. Efficient and renewable electricity resources
Australia is one of the most dry, sunny, windy places in the world, and is surrounded by oceans. This gives us, our region in particular, unlimited opportunities for renewable energy initiatives.
The supply of electricity and fuel is an important resource issue for our region, not only because 37 per cent of our greenhouse gas emissions are attributed to electricity production and use, and 27.8 per cent to fuel; but also because we currently export coal resources and have the potential for much larger coal and gas exports over the next 50 years. This is an area where efficiencies in our region’ s carbon exchange could be made.
The majority of current domestic supplies for electricity and fuel in our region are via finite fossil resources including thermal coal, gas and petroleum. However, technological innovation is providing more efficient ways to use electricity, as well as clean renewable energy and fuel sources. Opportunities to produce renewable energy are being actively investigated in our region, including solar panels and solar thermal, hydro-electric, biofuels, wind and wastes. In particular, the advent of micro, medium and large-scale solar energy technologies and of high-performance low-cost batteries could be considered global energy game changers.
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There are also aspirations for biofuel production and co-generation power sourced from sugarcane and sorghum in the Lower Burdekin and Pentland( Austcane Energy Ltd, 2015)( Renewable Development Australia, 2015). The Queensland Government is actively promoting biofuels and biomanufacturing industries in Queensland to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and contribute to regional growth.( Department of Energy and Water Supply, 2015). |
Figure 8- Savanna regions of the Burdekin Dry Tropics This is an indicative map prepared at a national scale by the Australian Government. If you believe you have rainfall and savanna vegetation types outside of the mapped zones please contact the Australian Department of Environment. |
Figure 7- Carbon emissions |
CLIMATE CHANGE |