Climate change
We understand the risk climate change poses to the Canberra community. Our region is already seeing some of the negative effects, including: rising temperatures, shifting rainfall patterns, more extreme fire weather and an extension of the fire season.
Our organisation acknowledges the ACT Government’s declaration of a climate emergency by supporting their climate change strategy. As a first step towards positive change, we have partnered with other water utilities and become a member of the United Nation’s Race to Zero campaign.
Climate change mitigation
Our greenhouse gas emissions represent a little over one percent of the ACT’s total, and we are acting to reduce these emissions. We follow the carbon hierarchy by avoiding and reducing emissions through design or process changes wherever possible, switching to renewable energy sources and only then sequestering carbon and offsetting those hard to reduce emissions.
- In 2021, at the COP26 Climate Change Conference, we formally announced our commitment to achieving net zero emissions by 2045.
- In 2022, we developed our eMission Possible Plan, which showcases our commitment to achieving net zero emissions. It highlights how we will continue to decarbonise our operations.
- We own a 1,280-hectare property in central NSW that supports our plan and is generating carbon offsets through extensive native tree plantings and since 2010 has generated over 200,000 carbon credits through carbon capture in trees.
Climate change adaptation
We are also taking action to reduce the risks that climate change poses on our region.
We have moved towards securing our region’s water supply against future drier conditions (incorporating risks to water security arising from drought). This includes the completion of major water security projects which have increased Canberra’s overall storage capacity by 35%.
- In 2020, we produced a practical Climate Change Adaptation Plan for our business. It lays out our strategy to enhance resilience against existing, and future, impacts of climate change while minimising disruptions to our essential services.
What you can do
We need to come together as a community to build resilience towards climate change.
Interested in discovering your carbon footprint? Click here to learn more!
Cutting back on your water use not only saves water it also saves energy, money and the environment. Head to our saving water page for some easy ways to save water in your home, garden and work.