Werribee Plains Sustainability Framework released

http://www.acfonline.org.au/default.asp?section_id=260


The Werribee Plains Regional Environmental Sustainability Framework was released last week at Victoria University, Sunshine and the framework has been uploaded to the ACF website today. The Framework is a huge disappointment for residents of the West who urgently want the Brumby Government to demonstrate leadership on emissions and climate change.

Geraldine Brooks, Greens candidate for the lower house seat for Derrimut attended the launch and said “I am extremely upset that this is an opportunity that has been squandered. The research undertaken by the Australian Conservation Foundation clearly states that industry is the biggest energy waster and yet almost the entire focus for solutions in this framework is put on to households”.

The metal manufacturing, and petroleum and coal industries are responsible for nearly half of all emissions and that figure does not include the building industry or agriculture which account for further large contributions. Brimbank is number one for energy emissions; however while households in Brimbank had the lowest per capita emissions at 6.8 M tonnes, industry was responsible for around 17M tonnes

We cannot address the issue of zero emissions in Victoria until the Brumby government is willing to take on poor practice in industry in a real way and for that we need a complete shift in our thinking, not business as usual with some tinkering at the edges. Some of these industries may just not be needed any more and the jobs need to be relocated in more sustainable sectors such as renewable energy creation, for example, through a container deposit scheme.

While the data clearly acknowledges the link between lack of access to public transport, increased car use and decreased housing density in Moorabool as contributing to the highest per capita energy emissions, it utterly fails to advocate for ceasing housing development in areas of Melbourne with large travel distances,and immediately call a halt to the outer metropolitan ring road and the Sunshine West tollway.