Executive summary: atmosphere
Status 2007
Queensland's climate is highly variable. Since 2003, lower than average rainfall and higher than average temperatures have been recorded. Rising temperatures in the state are consistent with the temperature rises observed nationally and globally, which in turn have been linked to increasing levels of greenhouse gas emissions, the main driver of climate change. Queensland's greenhouse gas emissions have increased by 5% from 1999 levels and are among the highest in the world on a per capita basis. In 2004, the state's greenhouse gas emissions represented about 28% of Australia's net emissions. Queensland produces relatively high per capita greenhouse gas emissions because of its reliance on fossil fuels for transport of freight over large distances and the use of coal for electricity generation to support its energy-intensive industry sector.
While the ozone layer is recovering as a result of substantially decreased use of ozone depleting substances, its recovery is complicated by climate change effects where increased concentrations of greenhouse gases interfere with the natural balance of ozone production and depletion. This phenomenon has the potential to delay the recovery of the ozone layer by up to 15 years in the Australian region.
Ultraviolet (UV) radiation has a negative impact on animals and broader ecosystems and can adversely affect materials and structures, causing accelerated degradation of paints, plastic and wood materials. Elevated levels of solar UV-B at ground level continue to pose a significant health risk in Queensland, contributing in particular to the occurrence of skin cancer.
Queensland's air quality meets national standards, with few exceptions. The data are based on ambient air monitoring, which measures the combined effect of diffuse and point sources of emissions. The potential for air pollution is greatest in south-east Queensland, with its increasing population, dependence on motor vehicles, and industrial activity.
On average, photochemical smog levels in south-east Queensland exceeded the national standard on one or two days a year over the past decade. Environmental Protection Agency monitoring in south-east Queensland, Gladstone, Rockhampton, Mackay and Townsville has shown that particle concentrations seldom exceed national health-based air quality standards under normal conditions. (Exceedences of standards are usually associated with extreme events such as bushfires or dust storms). New techniques employed by canegrowers in the Mackay region have seen the proportion of green cane harvesting rise from less than half in the mid-1990s to over 95% in 2006. The subsequent reduction in the need to burn sugarcane before harvesting or to burn cane trash has resulted in a substantially reduced atmospheric particle loading in the region.
Consistent with the trends reported for the period 1999-2002, there were no exceedences of the Air National Environment Protection Measure (NEPM) standards for nitrogen dioxide and carbon dioxide during this reporting period, while sulfur dioxide concentrations in Mount Isa exceeded Air NEPM 1-hour and 24-hour standards on a number of occasions each year as a result of changes in smelting operations. The sulfur dioxide levels measured in Mount Isa, however, do not constitute a breach of the Mount Isa Mines Limited Agreement Act 1985. Concentrations of air toxics were well below draft national and international standards and goals from 2003 to 2006.
Major contributing factors
The major contributors to greenhouse gas emissions in Queensland are, in decreasing order of significance, electricity, agriculture, land clearing and transport.
Photochemical smog is the result of emissions from motor vehicles, refineries, power stations, growth of native vegetation, bushfires and controlled burns. These emissions, combined with south-east Queensland's weather and topography, create a high potential for photochemical smog formation in Brisbane.
Motor vehicles, industry and power stations are the major sources of nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide and sulfur dioxide. Particulates are emitted into the atmosphere from a variety of sources including bushfires, agricultural and hazard-reduction burning, motor vehicles and industrial activities. Similarly, air toxics come from a variety of sources including paints, solvents, lawn mowers, motor vehicle fuels, coal-fired power stations, pesticides, wood heaters, incinerators, bushfires, cigarette smoking, furnishings and building products.
Policy response
A range of policies are in place in Queensland to deal with climate change, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, assist in the recovery of the ozone layer and manage air quality. In April 2007 the Premier announced that Queensland would play its part in meeting a national greenhouse gas emissions target of 60% below 2000 levels by 2050. This action commits the Queensland Government to ensuring the long-term prosperity of the state.
ClimateSmart 2050 outlines a diverse range of short-, medium- and long-term actions that the Queensland Government is committed to deliver. It contains a long-term strategy of reducing Queensland's greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel consumption by moving towards a low-carbon future based on the development and deployment of renewable and low emission technologies, such as clean coal. The Queensland Climate Change Fund and the Queensland Renewable Energy Fund have been established to support future climate change initiatives and emerging renewable energy sources such as geothermal and solar thermal technologies respectively.
ClimateSmart Adaptation 2007-2012: an action plan for managing the impacts of climate change focuses on initiatives to help Queenslanders adjust to the impacts of climate change and capitalise on opportunities to create jobs and build the state's economy. It recognises that although global warming can be slowed by making significant cuts to global greenhouse emissions, significant warming is now unavoidable.
The Office of Climate Change, established in October 2007, brings together climate change policy makers and scientific researchers including the Queensland Climate Change Centre of Excellence (QCCCE), to develop and implement policy responses to climate change based on the most up-to-date climate change science. The resulting policy is cutting edge and innovative and tackles climate change issues relevant to Queensland.
An early and significant response to climate change by the government was the banning of broadscale land clearing of native vegetation. This was mandated by the Vegetation Management Act 1999 on 1 January 2007. As a result, it is estimated that up to 20 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions were prevented from entering the atmosphere. This landmark Queensland initiative is largely responsible for helping Australia meet its Kyoto targets. Further protection and management of vegetation are provided by many local governments through planning scheme mechanisms and local laws.
The Ozone Protection and Synthetic Greenhouse Gas Management Act 1989 (Cwlth) controls the manufacturing, importation and export of all ozone depleting substances and their synthetic greenhouse gas replacements. This legislation supports the recovery of the ozone layer since the depletion of stratospheric ozone has important implications for our regional climate, and thereby for human health, agriculture and biodiversity.
Air quality issues in Queensland such as emissions to the atmosphere and photochemical smog formation are being dealt with through a range of policies. The Environmental Protection (Air) Policy 1997 (Air EPP) under the EP Act provides a framework for making consistent and fair decisions about managing the air environment by identifying environmental values to be enhanced or protected and specifying air quality indicators and goals to protect those values. The Air EPP is currently being reviewed with a view to improving its effectiveness in managing environmental issues.
The National Environment Protection Council (NEPC) also sets uniform ambient air quality standards for six pollutants within the National Environment Protection (Ambient Air Quality) Measure (Air NEPM) to apply in all Australian states and territories. The Air NEPM sets the maximum number of occasions on which pollutant levels can be exceeded based on the principle of protection of the health and wellbeing of the general population within a region.
The National Environment Protection (Air Toxics) Measure provides a framework for monitoring, assessing and reporting on ambient levels of five air toxics to assess the significance of monitored levels with respect to protection of human health. The monitoring investigation levels are levels of air pollution below which lifetime exposure, or exposure for a given averaging time, does not constitute a significant health risk.
The National Pollutant Inventory is jointly implemented by the Australian, state and territory governments to provide the community, industry and government with free public information on pollution levels in the urban environment. An increasing number of industries and government bodies report on their emissions of a range of pollutants in Queensland. Such reports inform urban planning and environmental regulation by showing emission estimates for 93 toxic substances and the source and location of these emissions.
The South East Queensland Regional Air Quality Strategy , currently under review as part of the ongoing implementation of the South East Queensland Regional Plan 2005 - 2026, recommended a series of actions that deal with regionally significant aspects of air quality that may affect people's health and wellbeing, visibility and amenity. These included strategies for transport, industry, land use, controlled burning and domestic activities, all designed to reduce emissions to the atmosphere.
The Queensland Government is working closely with the Commonwealth and other states to improve fuel quality and introduce stricter Australian Design Rules (ADRs) for emissions from new vehicles. The new ADRs are being progressively introduced to significantly reduce emission limits for hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides and particulate matter. To further support the reduction of motor vehicle emissions and encourage people to use environmentally friendly methods of travel, in 2006 the State Government established the Smart Travel Centre-Queensland to deliver TravelSmart, a voluntary behaviour change program. TravelSmart includes community, school and workplace programs designed to reduce private vehicle kilometres travelled (VKT). In 2006 Queensland Transport released Easy Steps, a toolkit for local governments to plan, design and promote safe walking, and to increase pedestrian accessibility, convenience and amenity. Local governments are also contributing to a reduction in VKT by encouraging transit oriented development, pedestrian and bicycle networks and urban design.
As part of the South East Queensland Infrastructure Plan and Program and TransLink Network Plan , the region's busway network is being extended, the CityTrain fleet is being expanded, and significant funds are being invested in the South East Queensland integrated regional cycle network between 2005 and 2026. The Cycle Network Program has delivered the Normanby Pedestrian and Cycle Link, completed in 2007, and Queensland Transport continues to implement the Queensland Cycle Strategy with the vision of increasing cycling throughout Queensland.
<<Return to State of the Environment Queensland 2007 content page
Last reviewed 12 May 2011
Last updated 9 February 2009