Policy Brief
INTER-GENERATIONAL ENERGY SECURITY
POLICY BRIEF
Purpose
The purpose of this policy brief is to provide the ACT Office of the Commissioner for Sustainability and the Environment (OCSE) with suggestions on securing inter-generational equity for energy within the ACT. electricity (22%), diesel (18%), and petrol (16%). Solar energy accounted for below 1% of Australia’s net energy consumption (seen in Figure 1). Regarding electricity prices, (seen in Figure 2) Canberra has witnessed a 45% increase within the past 5 years (2007 – 2012). Additionally, the retail price of gas and other household fuels has increased by 48% (1).
Figure 1: Household Energy Consumption, from 2000-01 to 2010-11
AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY z Context
E
nergy plays a key role in every Canberran’s life, affecting households and businesses that rely on various forms of energy to provide heating, cooling, cooking, transport, and machinery operation. Additionally, the means of providing this energy impacts the biosphere as the use of non-renewable sources such as fossil fuels, crude oil, gas, and coal pump billions of tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere each year. The effects of human-induced climate change as well as the increase of fuel and electricity prices are already beginning to show as we slowly deplete our non-renewable resources. Future generations currently face substantially higher fuel and electricity prices as well as the adverse effects of climate change.
What is the current issue?
Australian household energy consumption has increased by 14% over the past decade (between 2000-01 and 2010-11) due to economic growth, increasing population, and the subsequent increase in the number of houses that require power. In 2009-10 the ABS estimated Australian net energy consumption to be 3,962PJ with the main fuels consumed being natural gas (24%),
Figure 2: Cost of Electricity by Capital City, from Jun 2007 to Jun 2012
A petajoule (PJ) = 277,777,778
POLICY BRIEF
Purpose
The purpose of this policy brief is to provide the ACT Office of the Commissioner for Sustainability and the Environment (OCSE) with suggestions on securing inter-generational equity for energy within the ACT. electricity (22%), diesel (18%), and petrol (16%). Solar energy accounted for below 1% of Australia’s net energy consumption (seen in Figure 1). Regarding electricity prices, (seen in Figure 2) Canberra has witnessed a 45% increase within the past 5 years (2007 – 2012). Additionally, the retail price of gas and other household fuels has increased by 48% (1).
Figure 1: Household Energy Consumption, from 2000-01 to 2010-11
AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY z Context
E
nergy plays a key role in every Canberran’s life, affecting households and businesses that rely on various forms of energy to provide heating, cooling, cooking, transport, and machinery operation. Additionally, the means of providing this energy impacts the biosphere as the use of non-renewable sources such as fossil fuels, crude oil, gas, and coal pump billions of tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere each year. The effects of human-induced climate change as well as the increase of fuel and electricity prices are already beginning to show as we slowly deplete our non-renewable resources. Future generations currently face substantially higher fuel and electricity prices as well as the adverse effects of climate change.
What is the current issue?
Australian household energy consumption has increased by 14% over the past decade (between 2000-01 and 2010-11) due to economic growth, increasing population, and the subsequent increase in the number of houses that require power. In 2009-10 the ABS estimated Australian net energy consumption to be 3,962PJ with the main fuels consumed being natural gas (24%),
Figure 2: Cost of Electricity by Capital City, from Jun 2007 to Jun 2012
A petajoule (PJ) = 277,777,778
Cited: 9 8 2013.] http://epiconference.com/2013/program/sessions/people-and-energydesign-led-approach-understanding-everyday-energy-use-behavior.