What is global warming?
How do we know humans have contributed to global warming?
What are the predicted impacts of global warming?
How does standard electricity generation affect global warming?
What is the Australian Government’s Mandatory Renewable Energy Target (MRET)?
Why is GreenPower aiming beyond the federal government’s minimum target?
What about nuclear? It doesn’t produce greenhouse gases. Isn’t that clean?

What is global warming?

Global warming is a term used to describe the increase over time in the earth’s average temperatures as a result of what are now commonly known as ‘greenhouse gases’ (such as carbon dioxide and methane). These gases cause pollution that builds up in the earth’s lower atmosphere and prevents heat escaping into space. Scientists predict that global average temperatures will rise by between 1.8 and 4.0 degrees Celsius this century.

How do we know humans have contributed to global warming?

Scientists now believe that most of the warming that has taken place in the past 50 years has been caused by humans burning fossil fuels (such as coal, oil and natural gas) combined with widespread land clearing. This has increased the concentration of the gases that trap heat. Present carbon dioxide and methane concentrations are the highest they have been for at least 420,000 years. In many places throughout the world, the hottest days ever recorded have occurred in the past decade. Eleven of the past 12 years have ranked among the dozen warmest on record. Meanwhile, over the past 30 years, small groups of like-minded people have started planting trees and changing the way they use energy. More and more people are changing their behaviour every day. Humans can have the most impact on global warming by reducing the amount of carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide that is released into our atmosphere.

How much greenhouse pollution will GreenPower save in the average home?

What are the predicted impacts of global warming?

Scientists across the world have researched the impacts of greenhouse gas pollution. Most impacts will be due to a change of climate that will affect all areas in the way we live. We will have to change the way we practice agriculture to grow food and how we store water. Melting polar icecaps will increase sea levels, which could displace millions of people from their homes. We will also experience more extreme weather conditions, including droughts, floods, hailstorms, and cyclones. Areas prone to disease carrying insects will also increase.

According to research conducted by GreenPower, 82 percent of Australians agree that ‘climate change will affect me or my business in my lifetime’. More than half (55%) believe it already does.

All Australians have the opportunity to work together to minimise our impact on the environment. Now you can choose to reduce your reliance on fossil fuels, like coal that currently contribute to global warming. Every GreenPower customer makes a real contribution to increasing demand for environmentally friendly energy.

How does standard electricity generation affect global warming?

Most electricity in Australia is generated by burning coal, which emits greenhouse pollution into the atmosphere, trapping further heat and increasing global temperatures. Burning coal is the most greenhouse intensive form of energy production. In New South Wales and Victoria for example, more than 90 per cent of electricity comes from burning coal.

What is the Australian Government’s Mandatory Renewable Energy Target (MRET)?

The federal government already requires that energy companies buy a small percentage (2-3 percent) of electricity from renewable energy sources. Accredited GreenPower purchases are additional to any other requirements on electricity retailers to purchase renewable energy.

The Australian Government’s mandatory renewable energy target was introduced on 1 April 2001. It was created as a result of the passage of the Commonwealth Renewable Energy (Electricity) Act 2000. This Commonwealth legislation requires the generation of 9,500GWh per year by 2010.   Under this legislation electricity retailers must purchase a percentage of their electricity from new sources of renewable energy to meet this target.

Why is GreenPower aiming beyond the federal government’s minimum target?

Before the introduction of GreenPower, a very small percentage of renewable energy was fed into the national power grid. The current percentage is about eight per cent and the mandatory target will take this to about 10 per cent.

GreenPower provides consumers with a way to influence how their electricity is being sourced beyond the government’s mandatory target.

As a result of the growing demand for renewable energy, more than 182 new GreenPower accredited generators have been installed in Australia since 1997 as over 500,000 residential and business customers across Australia have chosen GreenPower products. These projects include the southern hemisphere’s largest solar farm at Singleton, NSW and numerous wind farms including Crookwell and Blayney in NSW, Codrington in Victoria, Esperance in Western Australia, Lake Bonney in South Australia and Townsville in Queensland.

Growth of the renewable energy industry and the installation of new generators have made a positive contribution to employment and tourism in regional areas.

What about nuclear? It doesn’t produce greenhouse gases. Isn’t that clean?

The introduction of nuclear energy in Australia is still being debated. Irrespective of this, in order to become GreenPower accredited, energy generators must demonstrate that they do not produce any hazardous waste, as well as generating energy without producing greenhouse gas emissions. Nuclear energy generators produce radioactive waste that remains toxic for millions of years, so would not meet GreenPower’s stringent environmental criteria.

A Newspoll survey in May 2006 found 38 per cent were in favour of nuclear power stations being built in Australia while 51 per cent opposed it (11 percent undecided).