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  • Home
  • About Us
    • Privacy Policy
  • Newcastle Climate Action Summit
    • Newcastle Emission Reduction Charter and Alliance
    • Presenters >
      • Alec Roberts
      • Aunty Therese
      • Ben Ewald
      • Elizabeth Adamczyk
      • Heather Stevens
      • Jacquie Svenson
      • Jeremy Leibman
      • Kevin Sweeney
      • Leah Stevens
      • Lou Johnston
      • Marnie Kikken
      • Nathan Clements
      • Richard Finlay-Jones
      • Trish Doyle
  • Newcastle Emission Reduction Plan
    • Submit your idea
    • Volunteer Form
    • Donate to the NERP project fund
    • Newcastle Emissions Profile
    • Plan Methodology >
      • Levers to reduce emissions
  • Projects
    • Hunter Climate Summit >
      • Presenters A-H >
        • Ann Porcino
        • Ben Saxon
        • Bob Hawes
        • Callan Lawrence
        • Callen Newby
        • Charlotte McCabe
        • Sister Diana Santleben
        • Erin Killion
        • Frances O'Brien
        • Garry Derkenne
        • Greg Mullins
        • Harrison Callen
        • Heather Stevens
      • Presenters I-P >
        • Ivy Scurr
        • Jo Lynch
        • Dr John Shiel
        • Dr Kathleen Wild
        • Kelly Hansen
        • Dr Kevin Sweeney
        • Dr Liam Phelan
        • Dr Louisa Connors
        • Nicky Ison
        • Nissa Lee Phillips
        • Dr Patrice Newell
        • Peter Brennan
      • Presenters Q-Z >
        • Robyn Blackwell
        • Revd Robyn Fry
        • Samantha Mella
        • Dr Sharlene Leroy-Dyer
        • Siobhan Isherwood
        • Sophie Nichols
        • Su Morley
        • Susie Russell
        • Suzanne Ross
        • Teresa Brierley
        • Trent Sheather
        • Dr Virginia Reid
      • Info for Presenters
      • Register your interest as a presenter
  • Resources
  • News
  • Contact
    • enviroBYTES
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Complete Summit Survey
Proudly supported by City of Newcastle

It's a wrap and feedback required!

That's it for the Newcastle Climate Action Summit. Saturday 18th November 2023

Many thanks to also to our Sponsors Vikki Brooke and City of Newcastle and Summit Partners Climate Action Newcastle, Newcastle Climate Change Response and Hunter Community Alliance, together with our many hardworking volunteers for making this happen.  Thank you for attending - we hope you enjoyed this summit to take action on reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions for Newcastle, NSW.   Presentations will be loaded onto the website shortly for your perusal.

To help us improve future Summits we ask for your feedback.

Please complete the following survey (2 minutes) if you were a delegate, speaker or volunteer at the Summit:   
Complete Summit Survey
​

​Newcastle Climate Action Summit
​

​Saturday 18 November 2023

Proudly Supported by City of Newcastle
Are you a community, business, industry, local government or public sector group that is ​keen to act to reduce Greenhouse gas emissions in Newcastle to tackle the effects climate change? 
The Newcastle Climate Action Summit was held at Newcastle City Hall on Saturday 18 November 2023. 

The summit brought together diverse organisations to develop a comprehensive strategy to reduce Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in Newcastle. This is the first city-wide strategy with emission reduction actions for transport and waste, households, commerce and industry.

In a context where a wide spectrum of voices are now talking about the issue of climate change as an emergency, attendees heared from local scientific, policy experts and advocates, and had the opportuntity to have their voice heard on ways to come together across sectors and interests to address this threat.
​
The Summit was a very interactive day, with small group discussions, table talks, speakers and workshops.  The summit sought to hear directly from attendees.  This included asking:
  • What actions do individuals and/or their organisation consider the highest priority to rapidly reduce Newcastle’s Greenhouse gas emissions?
  • How can our city play its part in the national and global effort?
  • What great initiatives are being developed or being implemented? 
  • What else is necessary?

Convened by a coalition of community groups Climate Action Newcastle and Newcastle Climate Change Response, together with many other participating and supporting organisations including Hunter Community Alliance, the inaugural Newcastle Climate Action Summit aimed to:
  1. Engender the active involvement of large numbers of community members and leaders, including business, industry and all levels of government
  2. Bring together diverse communities who have not participated in developing climate plans: young people; Aboriginal community members; culturally and linguistically diverse community members; people with disability
  3. Create increased awareness and commitment to the reduction of GHG emissions (e.g. businesses, council and other stakeholders committing to specific actions with measurable impact)
  4. Present emission reduction strategies for transport, waste, household, commercial and industrial sectors developed as part of the Newcastle Emission Reduction Plan project.
  5. Gain feedback from the public and key stakeholders on emission reduction strategies through Table Talks.
  6. Develop a comprehensive plan to reduce GHG emissions in Newcastle
  7. Facilitate the combining of forces in multiple ways to forward Newcastle's response to bringing Australia's emission reduction commitments in line with what is required to arrest the worst effects of climate change; and
  8. Build the local response to addressing the reduction of GHG emissions in the short term, that is, within the next 10 years.​
The Summit was an opportunity for representatives to showcase their climate plans and action, facilitate conversation about a collective vision, and establish a formal partnership and collaborative approach to tackling the climate crisis.

Representation was sought from the following groups:
  1. Transport: Transport industry, Freight and Logisitics, Public Transport, Active Transport and E-mobility advocates, public transport companies; Transport for NSW; Rail, Tram and Bus Union, Automative Advocacy organisations, Electric Vehicle Advocacy organisations, Travel Industry
  2. Industry: Industry and Manufacturing companies, Consultative committees, Chemical companies, Cement Production, Metal Manufactures, Refrigeration companies
  3. Residential: Tenants Advocacy, Social Housing providers and advocates, Town Planners, 
  4. Commercial: Businesses, Small-medium enterprises, chambers of commerce, business improvement associations
  5. ​Waste: Waste and resource recovery managers, Waste to energy advocates, Private waste companies, Foodbanks, Supermarkets. ​

Summit Outcomes

​The Newcastle Climate Summit held at City Hall on Saturday 18 November 2023 was the launchpad for the city's first city-wide plan to reduce Greenhouse gas emissions.

During the day, approximately 100 participants representing industry, government and community proposed and prioritised actions to halve Newcastle's Greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. 

Actions proposed included:
Waste
  •  Implement Food organics garden organics (FOGO) collection
  •  Hybrid Organics processing facility (Composting and Biogas)
  •  Measure and report on Fugitive (methane) emissions from landfill 
  • Development Approval (DA) requirement for builders & construction to have a waste reduction/ management plan.
  • Improve fugitive emissions and gas capture.
  • Education and behaviour change to reduce waste. 

Transport
  • Newcastle Cyclesafe strategy
  • Modal targets
  • Improve public transport
  • Multi-modal choices and incentives
  • Implementation of Multi-modal hubs

Industrial
  • Mandatory public reporting scope 1, 2, 3 emissions 
  • Local Community Dashboard - break-down by type
  • Mandatory public reporting emission reduction targets 
  • 2030 target:   50% reduction - from 2018/2020  baseline
  • Avoid carbon leakage ….. Carbon Border Adjustment​
  • Forum to Share Techniques on reducing emissions

​Residential
  • Improve the energy efficiency of new and existing homes to reduce energy consumption and reduce energy bills
  • Electrify homes by moving away from gas as an energy source and use energy efficient electric appliances for heating and cooling, hot water and cooking
  • Switch to 100% renewable power
  • Install rooftop solar PV to provide cheap renewable power
  • Install home batteries to store energy or utilise bi-directional charging from EVs
  • Community education & resources AND champions; starting at primary school
  • Home energy audit services
  • Revise Planning Controls 
  • Advocate to state and federal government for other regulatory changes
  • Rebates, incentives and low-cost finance
  • Sinking funds for strata & rental properties
  • Star rating for existing properties
  • Shared community batteries & projects for low income households

Commercial
  • Raise awareness in the business community of the scale of commercial emissions and the importance of making reductions
  • Provide education and relevant resources with a focus on the practical aspects of how to reduce commercial CO2 emissions
  • Provide ‘business energy audit’ services
  • Update Council controlled regulations that would result in a reduction in commercial emissions.
  • Advocate for other regulatory changes
  • Provide access to rebates, incentives and low cost finance
  • Group purchase of renewable energy
  • “ShoreBet”: Bet = Business Energy Transformation. Package for small business.
  • ‘Green strip’ shopping strips in suburbs.
  • One-stop shop for all energy efficiency, electrification & transition to renewables support & advice.
  • Energy efficiency & electrification in sectors with large asset holdings.
  • ‘De-gassing’ of restaurants & similar users.
​

At the close of the Summit the majority of attendees agreed to sign up to the Newcastle Emission Reduction Charter and be part of the Newcastle Emission Reduction Alliance.  The charter is a collaborative agreement to work towards a net zero for Newcastle, NSW.  For more details see below.

Summit Speakers 

​Summit Speakers - Click on the images below to access speaker abstracts, biographies, and presentations (where available).
Alec Roberts
Aunty Theresa
Dr Heather Stevens
Dr Kevin Sweeney
Nathan Clements
Dr Richard Finlay-Jones
Marnie Kikken
Dr Ben Ewald
​Jeremy Leibman
Leah Stevens
Trish Doyle​​ MP
Lou Johnston
Cr Dr Elizabeth Adamczyk
Jacquie Svenson

Listed Speakers and Presentation Topics

 Summit Speakers​​​​
  • Alec Roberts - Newcastle Emission Reduction Plan
  • Aunty Therese​ - Welcome to Country
  • Dr Ben Ewald - CycleSafe Network
  • Cr Dr Elizabeth Adamczyk​ - Introduction for City of Newcastle​ - Climate Programs
  • Dr Heather Stevens - City of Newcastle's Environment Strategy & Climate Action Plan
  • Jacquie Svenson - Industry Emissions in Newcastle LGA
  • ​Jeremy Leibman - Transport Modal shift
  • Dr Kevin Sweeney - Strategies to reduce residential emissions
  • Leah Stevens - Public Transport
  • Dr Lou Johnston - Host
  • Marnie Kikken - City of Newcastle's Environment Strategy & Climate Action Plan
  • Nathan Clements - Training, transition and solidarity
  • Dr Richard Finlay-Jones - ​​Newcastle Offshore Wind​
  • Trish Doyle​​ MP - Trish will make an address on behalf of Minister Sharpe

Summit Program

​Please find the Summit Program below for viewing and download
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summit_program_for_participants.pdf
File Size: 123 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File


Summit Venue

Newcastle City Hall
​290 King St, Newcastle NSW
​
As one of our city's most iconic heritage buildings, Newcastle City Hall speaks volumes of our proud past and who we are as a city. Opened in 1929, it is one of Newcastle’s most prestigious buildings and the heart of historic Civic Precinct.  The Concert Hall features excellent natural acoustics, superior lighting and comfortable lower and upper gallery seating. City Hall has six function rooms and provides a great option for large conference groups. ​
Newcastle City Hall is only 20 minutes from Newcastle Airport and near a range of public transport options.
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The "Concert Hall" will  host the main summit, with "Mulubinba Room" and "Cummings Room"  used for "Table Talks" (Workshops), Morning, Lunch and Afternoon teas.  The "Concert Hall" will also host the "Table Talks".
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Our Sponsors and Supporters

We would like to thank the generous support of Vicki Brooke, and the City of Newcastle. Thanks also to Hunter Community Alliance, CLEANaS and Hunter Innovation and Science Hub for their support.

Newcastle Emission Reduction Charter and Alliance

The Newcastle Emission Reduction Charter is a collaborative agreement to work towards a net zero for Newcastle, NSW, with the target to achieve at least a 50% reduction by 2030.  The charter includes committing to working collaboratively, setting carbon targets, monitoring and reporting progress, and developing and adopting road map and action plans to meet set target(s).  The new Newcastle Emissions Reduction Alliance will involve those organisations gathered at the Summit as well as enabling a wider range of stakeholders to play their part in cutting Newcastle’s carbon footprint to zero. By agreeing to join the Alliance, organisations and individuals will be supporting the ambition of achieving the emission target. The Alliance will be governed by a steering committee which will include representatives from community, business, industry and government (in particularly City of Newcastle).

At the close of the summit all participants and organisations were asked to endorse the charter and join the Alliance. 
The majority of attendees and/or their organisations agreed to be part .

Read the document here or download below.
Your browser does not support viewing this document. Click here to download the document.
newcastle_emission_reduction_alliance_and_charter.pdf
File Size: 90 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File


​Aim for Real Zero and Don’t Settle for Net Zero

The Newcastle Climate Summit framing is ‘Real Zero’. Many organisations have set ‘Net Zero’ targets which allow creative carbon accounting: promising that today’s carbon overspend will be paid off by future generations through expensive and as-yet unproven (at scale) negative emissions technologies. For us ‘Net Zero’ can imply inaction and the privileging of emissions for sectors, which has huge equity implications. Our focus is on how to reduce emissions from Transport, Waste, Industry, Business and Households to ‘Real Zero’ to prevent catastrophic climate change.

For more information..

​Focus on Climate Mitigation rather than Climate Adaptation

As climate change is now a clear and present danger to our society and the natural world, both mitigation and adaptation are now necessary.  However, the less we choose to mitigate today, the more adaptation we’ll need later and the less effective adaptation will become and the greater the divide will be between those that can afford adaptation and those that cannot (Rojas, 2019).

The focus of this Summit is working to address the root cause of the problem of climate change through Climate Mitigation rather than dealing with its effects.  It is suggested that a separate parallel process be initiated to plan cross-sectoral climate adaptation actions with a focus on inclusivity and flexible approach within Newcastle.
For more information...

​With emission reduction, count what doesn’t get counted

In total GHG emissions that can be linked to Newcastle LGA there are a large number of emissions that are not included in the total measured GHG emissions such as in the Newcastle 2020/21 municipal emissions snapshot from the Snapshot community climate tool (Ironbark Sustainability and Beyond Zero Emissions, 2022).  All GHG emissions need to be reduced, not only those quantified as being Newcastle LGA emissions.
For example total measured Newcastle LGA emissions are equivalent to only 0.5% of emissions resulting from the use of exported coal from Newcastle Port which equates to around 400 Mt CO2-e emissions per annum.  Putting it more starkly the emissions resulting from the export of coal through Newcastle Port are roughly equivalent to the total measured GHG emissions for Australia (401.4 Mt CO2-e for 2020/21) (Ironbark Sustainability and Beyond Zero Emissions, 2022). Such figures underlie the heavy importance of curtailing the export of coal from Newcastle to address effective GHG emission reduction in combating the effects of climate change.

For more information...
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The University of Newcastle (UoN)
University Drive
Callaghan NSW 2308, Australia​
ABN: ​11 385 324 230
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