- Decarbonisation leadership
- Carbon Crunch 2024: Brisbane
- Introduction to the report
- Defining resilience in transport
- Decarbonisation leadership
- The path forward
Electrification and the emerging importance of embodied emissions
Electrification of vehicles is occuring across the transport industry, from personal vehicles to freight. Investments in electrical vehicle technology as well as in the significant supporting charging network is accelerating across Australia.
As the grid decarbonises, through the mass adoption of renewables, operational emissions associated with electric vehicle movements will decrease. This decrease in operational emissions will also be decreased through the uptake of alternative fuels and fuel technologies. In consequence, while overall transport emissions may be reduced, the proportion of transport sector emissions associated with the embodied carbon of transport infrastructure will increase in proportion.
Industry innovation and partnerships have already led to progress and updates to utilised technologies, approaches and specification. To increase the deployment of low-emissions solutions across the transport sector, innovation needs to be underpinned by robust testing to meet rigorous safety standards. Rigorous testing, aligned with good due diligence, is required to ensure the effective management of safety risks.
Testing and pilot projects
While welcoming innovative ideas and solutions, governments are bound by safety and supply chain imperatives, which can hinder large scale adoption and inclusion into specifications.
Industry has clearly expressed that innovation needs to be introduced and included into the procurement process and appropriately embedded into contracts. This needs to be supported by more collaborative contracting models. Contractors are motivated to innovate and deliver alternative low-carbon solutions but need the support and the buy-in from agencies and organisations.
The current situation, while not without its challenges, is fertile ground for collaboration-driven innovation. Agencies and stakeholders from across the supply chain have an opportunity to work together to mainstream the technology required to reach decarbonisation objectives.
Collaboration, partnerships and skills
The journey towards resilience and decarbonisation in the transport sector is not just about compliance; it’s about collaboration and innovation across the industry.
Major transport routes are co-funded with the federal government, requiring increased collaboration and alignment with federal and state priorities. Decarbonisation is currently a key priority and focus area across all levels of government. A programme-wide business as usual (BAU) approach to decarbonisation is required to meet net zero ambitions.
To measure more than just the cost of transport infrastructure projects, a systems approach to aligning supply chains to better understand and reduce our carbon emissions is needed.
Furthermore, increased demand for specialised skills necessitates investment in training and education to equip the next generation of engineers and sustainability professionals with the knowledge required to navigate this complex landscape.
The Physical Climate Risk Assessment Methodology (PCRAM)
The Physical Climate Risk Assessment Methodology (PCRAM) is an open-source resource created for the public good, to improve consistency in risk assessment and provide a common language between the infrastructure and financial industries. PCRAM is the first methodology of its kind, developed using real world case studies and rigorously reviewed by leading experts from a range of industries.
PCRAM helps decision-makers understand benefit-to-cost ratio, target investment, and plan programmes of investment that align with existing organisational and regulatory investment cycles.
