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The Christchurch City Council has become the first New Zealand council to receive money from the sale of carbon credits.
The first carbon credit payment, just awarded under the Kyoto Protocol, will be used to implement the Council’s Sustainable Energy Strategy’s Action Plan.
The Council received 435,000 euros for the 2008 calendar year, equating to almost NZ$1 million, which will kick-start 28 projects in the Christchurch area as part of the Sustainable Energy Strategy. The projects will be a catalyst for city-wide energy efficiency improvements and renewable energy options.
The Council had unanimously agreed in 2007 that it would fund the Energy Strategy through sale of its carbon credits, lifting the burden off ratepayers.
20 per cent more carbon credits were produced than expected and they were the direct result of renewable energy projects that the Council started a few years ago. These projects have led to a substantial reduction in the use of fossil fuels and, subsequently, a reduction in the emission of greenhouse gases. This came mainly from the capture, burning and energy use of methane gas from Burwood landfill.
The credits were approved after a lengthy audit and verification process under the Kyoto Protocol.
The 28 projects range from increasing awareness amongst the residents of Christchurch and local businesses of the critical energy issues to building partnerships with community organisations, energy industry players and local businesses.
Energy costs are the largest single item of expenditure for the Christchurch community, at more than 10 percent of Christchurch’s GDP and nearly 30 percent of Christchurch’s total household income. “Climate change and carbon neutrality are becoming worldwide issues and it is important we focus on these at a local level and work together to be able to build a truly sustainable city,” says Mayor Bob Parker. “No other city is as well placed to do this as we are. We’ve got carbon credits by taking gas from an old landfill and heating the QEII pool. We’ve cut our energy use by 30 percent over the last 10 years, and that’s just the beginning,” says the Mayor. “The City Council will continue using the sale of its carbon credits to fund the move to a more sustainable Christchurch,” he says. The Sustainable Energy Strategy for the community emanated out of consultations with the Europe-based Energie-Cits in early 2006 and was later peer reviewed by a team of experts from cities of Malm and Vxj in Sweden. Christchurch is a unique member of Energie-Cits, the only city outside of Europe to be asked to join. Energie-Cits, created in 1990, is the association of European local authorities promoting local sustainable energy policies that represents more than 1000 towns and cities in 26 countries.
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