FAQs

The United Nations defines climate change as “long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns. Such shifts can be natural, due to changes in the sun’s activity or large volcanic eruptions. But since the 1800s, human activities have been the main driver of climate change, primarily due to the burning of fossil fuels like coal, oil and gas. Burning fossil fuels generates greenhouse gas emissions that act like a blanket wrapped around the Earth, trapping the sun’s heat and raising temperatures.”

Section 3.1 of the Local Government Act 1995 requires local governments to consider climate change in decision making.

Climate change is complex and evolving. This draft Plan will provide structure to address climate change with flexibility to alter targets and actions as conditions and management strategies evolve. Under this Plan, the City will address climate change at all levels, through mitigation and adaptation at both the corporate and community levels.

Climate change mitigation refers to actions that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and reduce our impact on the climatic system.

Climate change adaptation refers to actions that reduce and adapt to the impacts from climate change.

Our climate is changing. The average temperature of Western Australia has increased by 1.3°C since 1910, which is more rapid than the global average of 1.0°C. As a result, all weather is now occurring within a warmer and more energetic atmosphere (as shown in Figure 5  on page 13).

In the southwest of Western Australia, we have already experienced an increase in average temperatures, more hot days and heat waves, less rainfall (especially in winter and spring), extended periods of drought, more concentrated rainfall and more intense storms, more severe fire weather, and sea level rise along our coastline

While the City of Subiaco is a small local government, relative to other local governments in Western Australia, it's vital to recognise both our direct and indirect impacts. 

Council emits just under 2,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent per year from council operations, while the entire municipality is responsible for an estimated ~300,000 tonnes per annum. 

More information regarding the City’s organisational emissions can be found here, and emissions of the municipality can be found here.

The City has made substantial progress toward the targets in the 2020 CCRP, including certified carbon neutral emissions as an organisation for four consecutive years, and reducing total corporate emissions by 39.9% since the FY 2018/19 baseline year.

Since 2020, the City reduced gross GHG emissions through:

• procurement of renewable electricity 
• adoption of energy efficient systems 
• uptake of electric light fleet vehicles
• phasing-out of natural gas from City sites.

The City’s history includes the cultural significance of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, particularly the Noongar peoples. The Noongar peoples have inhabited the south-west region of Western Australia for tens of thousands of years.

Wandaraguttagurrup is located on the traditional lands of the Noongar peoples. It is home to the Aboriginal heritage sites of Lake Jualbup and Mabel Talbot Park, where Lake Jolimont is located. The area was originally inhabited by the Mooro group, led by Yellagonga, the uncle of Yagan.

The Paris Agreement, ratified by Australia in November 2016, sits within the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). 

The Agreement commits signatories to significantly reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, through Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), to keep global temperatures well below two degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. 

Australia’s NDC, which was updated in 2022, commits Australia to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 43% below 2005 levels by 2030, and achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.

• Scope 1: direct emissions that occur from sources that are owned or controlled by the reporting organisation; for example, emissions from fuel combustion in owned or controlled vehicles or other equipment. 
• Scope 2: indirect emissions from the generation of purchased electricity that is consumed by the organisation. Scope 2 emissions physically occur at the facility where electricity is generated. 
• Scope 3: all other indirect emissions that are a consequence of the organisation’s activities but occur from sources not owned or controlled by the organisation. Examples include the extraction and production of purchased materials, transportation of purchased fuels, and use of sold products and services.

Net zero can be defined as reducing total emissions by 90% across all emission scopes (scope 1, 2, and 3). See previous FAQ for definitions of the scopes.