Busy developer Aqualand Prestige has formally taken the next step in its expansion across Sydney's Lower North Shore, lodging a State Significant Development Application (SSDA) for its long-held Archer Street site in Chatswood.

The application covers <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/51-55-archer-street-chatswood-nsw-2067">51-55 Archer Street</a>, a 1,767 sqm amalgamated site on the eastern edge of the Chatswood CBD, where the developer is seeking approval for a 45-level mixed-use tower delivering 114 apartments, including a significant affordable housing component, alongside retail, commercial space and six basement levels of parking.

The SSDA marks the latest milestone for a project Aqualand has been quietly progressing over the past two years. The developer first secured the site for its Aqualand Prestige platform before undertaking an alternative design excellence process with PTW Architects, ultimately avoiding a formal design competition through the Housing Delivery Authority pathway.

The proposal has evolved considerably from Aqualand's original concept. The revised scheme has been designed around larger owner-occupier product, with an unusually high proportion of three and four-bedroom apartments, targeting the more affluent buyer profile, and downsizer, emerging across the North Shore.

<img alt="Archer St" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="0171204c-5811-41b5-9b09-2335d1b7c3d0" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-07-22%20at%208.52.48%E2%80%AFAM.png?VersionId=6YTuxfq.puZo7k2wbfgemcO5K3QfXYGQ" />

The 114-apartment mix comprises six studios, 27 one-bedroom apartments, 18 two-bedroom apartments, 50 three-bedroom residences and 13 four-bedroom homes. A quarter of the building will be dedicated to affordable housing, well above the mandated 15 per cent&nbsp;

PTW has structured the building vertically, with affordable housing across levels one to six, premium apartments through levels seven to 31, duplex skyhomes on klevels 32 to 43, a penthouse on level 44, and a rooftop plant level above. Six basement levels will provide resident parking and servicing.

The tower is proposed to reach approximately 154 metres, placing it among a growing collection of residential high-rises transforming Chatswood's skyline.

Rather than competing purely on height, PTW says the design has been driven by creating a slimmer tower capable of delivering significantly larger apartments.

"The primary objective of this project was to create a distinctive building that stands out from the recently approved or built structures in the Chatswood area," the design report states, noting the structural efficiency allows greater investment into apartment quality and resident amenity.

Residents would have access to more than 450 sqm of communal open space including landscaped gardens, swimming pool, rooftop entertaining areas, fitness spaces, community gardens, children's play areas and barbecue facilities.

A major focus of the design has been the public domain.

The ground plane has been opened up through landscaped terraces inspired by Willoughby's sandstone ridges, with native planting, public seating, artwork, retail activation and a series of gathering spaces intended to soften what has traditionally been a hard commercial streetscape.

The landscape strategy references Blue Gum forests once common throughout the area, while incorporating Indigenous storytelling, public art and lighting installations to strengthen the connection to Country.

Chatswood has been one of Sydney's busiest apartment markets over the past 12 months, with a steady pipeline of both new project launches and fresh development applications.

Hyecorp recently launched Celine, a 122-apartment development just along Archer Street, while Changfa and Huirong Group are progressing The Anderson, an 84-apartment project on Anderson Street.

Develotek recently secured approval for a 101-apartment tower on Pacific Highway, while Tian An LFD received the green light for Hammond Greens, its apartment development on the edge of the Chatswood Bowling Club.

Commercial property developer FiveX is also making its move into the residential market. Last month it lodged plans for a 61-storey tower with 490 apartments, which, if approved, would become one of the tallest residential buildings in Chatswood.

Read more:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/news/nsw/first-look-fivex-targets-chatswood-skyline-with-61-storey-tower-after-north-sydney-plans">First look: FiveX targets Chatswood skyline with 61-storey tower after North Sydney plans</a>

Aqualand is also expanding its development pipeline following the launch of its luxury residential brand, Aqualand Prestige. The developer has delivered a string of high-end apartment projects across Sydney's affluent suburbs over the past decade, most recently AURA by Aqualand on Walker Street in North Sydney.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=30959 project_image_fid=292863]

It has since quietly assembled its next wave of projects.

Earlier this year Aqualand launched Boronia in Roseville, a boutique 111-apartment development on Larkin Street. The project is one of the first significant apartment developments to launch in the suburb ahead of what is expected to become one of Sydney's most active new housing precincts under the NSW Government's Low and Mid-Rise Housing reforms, which allow greater density around train stations.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=152095 project_image_fid=373685]

The developer has also lodged plans for a two-tower, 413-apartment development on Herbert Street in nearby St Leonards, further strengthening its presence across the Lower North Shore.

Beyond that, Aqualand remains behind the final stage of Barangaroo, where plans will deliver a five-hectare mixed-use precinct comprising new homes, retail, hospitality and community facilities, alongside a new Metro entrance and more than two hectares of public open space, completing the Barangaroo precinct.

Read more:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/news/nsw/central-barangaroo-development-takes-big-step-with-concept-proposal-approval">Central Barangaroo development takes big step with concept proposal approval</a>

Read more:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/news/nsw/first-look-aqualand-joins-st-leonards-apartment-party">First look: Aqualand joins St Leonards apartment party</a> 
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Joel Robinson

First look: Aqualand pushes ahead with Chatswood apartment tower as SSDA lodged for Archer Street

Mass timber is becoming an increasingly popular construction material in apartment developments, but Adelaide developer <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/otello">Otello</a> is taking the approach a step further.

At its new <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/flowe-bowden-18-gibson-street-bowden-sa-5007">Flowe Bowden</a> development, the exposed cross-laminated timber (CLT) structure isn't just about reducing the building's environmental footprint. It also forms the foundation of a broader wellness strategy, influencing everything from indoor air quality and natural materials to the way residents move through and experience the building.

The 115-apartment mixed-use development, designed by Melbourne-based architecture practice Fieldwork, will occupy a prominent island site opposite Bowden Village Reserve, combining one, two and three-bedroom apartments with retail and a dedicated wellness destination.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=152022 project_image_fid=375528]

Wellness isn't confined to a gym or shared resident facility at Flowe. Instead, Fieldwork embedded the concept into the building itself.

The development has been split into two residential wings connected by a naturally ventilated central breezeway, replacing traditional enclosed corridors with open-air walkways that improve natural light, encourage cross ventilation and create more opportunities for neighbourly interaction.

"Rather than treating wellness as something that only happens on the ground floor, our response integrates it throughout the building, which led us to ask what it really means to design a healthy building," Fieldwork Director Quino Holland said.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=152022 project_image_fid=375531]

The building's architecture also reflects Bowden's industrial heritage. The lower podium references the area's historic brick and sandstone buildings, while the upper levels transition to exposed CLT, allowing the timber structure to become a defining feature throughout the apartments and shared spaces.

The use of mass timber sits alongside a range of sustainability initiatives, including a fully electric, gas-free design, rooftop solar and a targeted 5 Star Green Star rating.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=152022 project_image_fid=375524]

Inside the residences, the focus remains on natural, durable materials. Blackbutt engineered timber flooring, exposed CLT ceilings, porcelain surfaces and warm timber joinery create a calming interior palette, while low-VOC finishes and responsibly sourced materials have been selected to improve indoor air quality.

Kitchens have been designed as the centrepiece of each apartment, featuring porcelain island benchtops, timber-look cabinetry and brushed steel tapware, with layouts that maximise natural light and ventilation.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=152022 project_image_fid=375530]

The more traditional interpretation of wellness comes in the form of Level Eleven, a two-storey wellness club spanning the ground floor, mezzanine and first floor.

The facility will include a gym, yoga and reformer Pilates studios, Finnish and infrared saunas, magnesium hot and cold plunge pools, and dedicated recovery spaces. Unlike many residential wellness facilities, Level Eleven will also operate commercially, allowing the broader Bowden community to access the venue while giving residents exclusive membership benefits.

The ground floor has also been designed around everyday living. A café overlooking Bowden Village Reserve will activate the street frontage, while a bike workshop with tool storage, co-working space and dog wash has been incorporated to support daily routines and encourage interaction between residents.

"Flowe brings together my two biggest passions, creating places and creating healthier lives," Otello founder Daniel Harris said.

"We wanted to create something Adelaide hasn't seen before, a genuinely healthy building, where the way you live is lifted without even trying."

Flowe is positioned directly opposite Bowden Village Reserve and within walking distance of Bowden Railway Station and the Adelaide Entertainment Centre, placing future residents just minutes from the Adelaide CBD while remaining connected to one of the city's most established urban renewal precincts.

[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=152022]

Otello launches wellness-focused Flowe Bowden with Adelaide-first mass timber apartment design

Not all apartment amenities are immediately visible.

Swimming pools, gyms, rooftop terraces and residents' lounges have long featured on buyers' wishlists, but as the way Australians live has changed, so too have the features that make apartment living more convenient.

Increasingly, buyers are placing value on the practical aspects of day-to-day life. Fast internet, EV charging, secure bike storage, flexible workspaces and parcel management are becoming just as relevant as lifestyle amenities, reflecting changing habits and expectations.

Online shopping has been one of the biggest drivers of that shift.

Australians spent a record $82.6 billion shopping online in 2025, with almost one in every four retail dollars now spent digitally, making parcel deliveries a routine part of everyday life rather than an occasional convenience.

For apartment residents, however, receiving those deliveries isn't always straightforward.

Without someone home to accept a parcel, deliveries can be redirected to a nearby Post Office, left in building foyers or common areas, or require building management to temporarily store packages. As apartment living continues to grow across Australia's cities, parcel management has become an increasingly important consideration for both residents and developers.

Australia Post's Parcel Locker network is one response to that shift.

<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/KPZ9j5FRdsQ?si=Qztc1dNP3ZvEIUhb" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe>

Rather than relying on home delivery, eligible parcels can be directed to a nominated Parcel Locker, where they're securely stored until collected. Once a parcel arrives, residents receive a notification through the AusPost app or SMS and can retrieve it using a one-time code or QR code at a time that suits them.

The network has expanded to more than 1,500 locations nationwide, with Parcel Lockers positioned at Post Offices, shopping centres, supermarkets, transport hubs and, increasingly, within or alongside residential developments.

That growing presence reflects a broader change in how apartment buildings are being planned.

Developers are increasingly considering the operational side of apartment living alongside traditional lifestyle amenities. Just as secure mailrooms, bicycle storage and EV charging have become more common inclusions, parcel management is emerging as another feature that supports everyday convenience.

It also helps preserve the arrival experience within a building. Carefully designed lobbies and communal spaces can quickly become cluttered when deliveries accumulate, while secure parcel solutions reduce the likelihood of missed deliveries or parcels being left unattended.

For buyers comparing apartments, these everyday details are becoming part of the decision-making process.

Location, floorplans and finishes remain fundamental, but the features that simplify daily life are carrying greater weight than they once did. As online shopping continues to shape consumer behaviour, secure parcel delivery is increasingly becoming another amenity worth looking for.

Parcel delivery is joining the apartment amenity checklist

Inca Property Group has lodged a State Significant Development Application (SSDA) for Dawn, a 53-apartment oceanfront development overlooking Mona Vale Beach.

The proposal, at 35-39 Darley Street East, would replace an existing 18-apartment strata building with a new owner-occupier-focused development comprising 53 two and three-bedroom apartments, including nine affordable built-to-rent residences delivered under the State's infill affordable housing scheme.

Positioned on a 2,679 sqm elevated site around 280 metres from Mona Vale Beach, the development has been designed to maximise panoramic ocean views while responding to the site's sloping topography.

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/inca-property-group">Inca Property Group</a> Managing Director Josh Thompson said the State Significant pathway provided greater certainty for projects of this scale.

"This State Significant pathway gives the team real certainty to progress <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/dawn-35-39-darley-street-east-mona-vale-nsw-2103">Dawn</a> through to completion," Thompson said.

"It allows us to acquire a one-off site, design it carefully and deliver the right offering for the suburb, assessed by the NSW Government's planning department."

The project is one of the first developments in the area to be assessed under the NSW Government's Low and Mid-Rise Housing policy, with the site sitting on the edge of the policy's designated inner area.

The proposal includes three basement levels providing 124 car spaces, alongside a range of resident amenities including a swimming pool, gym, sauna, wellness facilities and private plunge pools for selected ground-floor and penthouse apartments.

<img alt="Dawn" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="fc1a1daf-0ce4-4f12-9076-b1fa553c7a91" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-07-21%20at%208.42.11%E2%80%AFAM.png?VersionId=4GZ9h.gpNkTljbxyAET8Jfhv51XUamDm" />

Thompson said Dawn had been designed specifically for owner-occupiers and downsizers, a buyer profile that has driven demand across Inca's recent Upper North Shore developments.

"The majority of buyers in our recent North Shore projects have been downsizers, and we are learning exactly what this market is looking for. Beyond the location itself, we have included resort-style amenities to deliver a genuine lifestyle offering," Thompson said.

Located within walking distance of Mona Vale Beach, the town centre, Mona Vale Golf Club and the Royal Motor Yacht Club, Dawn represents Inca's first Northern Beaches project following the sell-out of Tara on Park in Waitara and Ellis Residences, currently under construction in St Ives.

Construction will be undertaken by Inca's in-house construction arm, GOP Constructions.

Dawn is the latest major apartment proposal for Mona Vale, with the suburb emerging as one of the key beneficiaries of the NSW Government's new Low and Mid-Rise Housing policy.

New developer One Living, led by industry veteran Joseph Scuderi, recently secured a site on Mona Vale Road, on the border of Mona Vale and Pymble, where it is planning around 140 apartments.

IPM is also planning its third project in Mona Vale, significantly increasing the scale of its previous developments with an 82-apartment proposal at <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/159-167-darley-street-west-mona-vale-nsw-2103">159-167 Darley Street West</a>, opposite Bayview Golf Course and less than 800 metres from Mona Vale town centre.

Read more:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/news/nsw/one-living-enters-sydneys-new-apartment-market-with-northern-beaches-site-acquisition">One Living enters Sydney's new apartment market with Northern Beaches site acquisition</a>

Read more:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/news/nsw/first-look-ipm-plans-third-mona-vale-project">First look: IPM plans third Mona Vale project</a>

First look: Inca eyes Mona Vale with State Significant DA for Dawn apartments

Seasoned Victorian apartment developer <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/central-equity">Central Equity</a> has logged more than $400 million in sales in its luxury apartment project Palmera Residences at Northcliffe on the Gold Coast.&nbsp;

Central Equity Director Karl Kutner said the sales result reflected a combination of location, product quality and delivery certainty with the project already under construction by building powerhouse Multiplex.&nbsp;

"Surpassing $400 million in sales since launch is a significant milestone and an outstanding endorsement of <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/palmera-residences-gold-coast-18-garfield-terrace-surfers-paradise-qld-4217">Palmera Residences</a>,” he said.&nbsp;

"We believe one of the key reasons for this strong result is the confidence purchasers have in knowing the project is under construction with Multiplex. Buyers are increasingly looking for certainty. They want to know that the project they commit to today will be delivered by an experienced team with a proven track record."&nbsp;

[smartcode_project:default project_id=108274 project_image_fid=365782]

Kutner said it was clear there was still high demand for luxury projects that offered certainty of delivery.&nbsp;

“We are in a market where many residential developments have faced delays due to rising construction costs, labour shortages and financing challenges,” said Kutner.&nbsp;

"But having construction underway has provided our buyers with resounding confidence backed by more than 40 years of development delivery by Central Equity combined with construction by one of Australia's most respected construction companies."&nbsp;

[smartcode_project:default project_id=108274 project_image_fid=365785]

Central Equity is one of Australia's most experienced privately-owned property developers. Over more than four decades, the company has delivered in excess of 85 residential developments including 10,000 apartments and many thousands of stand alone homes.&nbsp;

Located on Garfield Terrace at Northcliffe, between Surfers Paradise and Broadbeach, Palmera Residences occupies one of the Gold Coast's most sought after beachside locations. The development has been designed to appeal to owner occupiers seeking premium residences that combine generous living spaces and resort style amenities.&nbsp;

Palmera Residences will feature an exceptional collection of resort style amenities, including two swimming pools: a generously sized family pool with safe shallow zones for relaxed recreation, and a 20 metre lap pool positioned to maximise all day sunlight.&nbsp;

Residents will also enjoy exclusive access to wellness and recreational facilities including a magnesium pool, sauna, yoga studio, expansive fitted gymnasium, resident lounge, outdoor BBQ’s&nbsp;and indoor and outdoor dining areas, together with a dedicated concierge and luxurious hotel inspired entrance foyer.&nbsp;

[smartcode_project:default project_id=108274 project_image_fid=365767]

A unique feature at Palmera Residences has been designed to enhance the Gold Coast lifestyle which includes both indoor and outdoor gymnasium facilities, together with thoughtfully designed indoor and outdoor dining and entertaining areas. A corner café has also been incorporated to provide residents with a destination for their everyday needs.&nbsp;

Kutner said buyer demand had been broad based with purchasers attracted from interstate as well as throughout South East Queensland.&nbsp;

"We're seeing strong interest from owner occupiers, lifestyle buyers and people relocating to the Gold Coast. Many purchasers have been searching for a premium beachside residence where quality, design and delivery are equally important."&nbsp;

[smartcode_project:default project_id=108274 project_image_fid=365771]

Kutner said the sales milestone was an important achievement, but the focus remained firmly on delivering an exceptional development.&nbsp;

"While reaching $400 million in sales is an important milestone, our priority remains delivering a project that exceeds purchaser expectations,” he said.&nbsp;

"Palmera Residences has been designed to become one of the Gold Coast's landmark residential addresses, and we look forward to welcoming our purchasers to their new homes."&nbsp;

There are a limited number of residences remaining in selected configurations with pricing from $2,950,000 to $8,950,000. Palmera Residences is also crowned by expansive penthouses with wrap around views.

[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=108274]

Construction certainty and strong buyer demand drive major sales result for luxury Gold Coast development

Palmera Residences fly out the door as sales pass $400 million

Climate change

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NCAR and IAG have released a report examining current and future climate change impacts on the Australian climate and weather extremes that produce significant property, personal and economic damage and hardship.
When examining the effected areas of tropical cyclones (TCs), they found there has already been a southward shift of the regions where tropical cyclones reach peak intensity and this is expected to continue.
Tropical cyclone risks are expected to increase most rapidly in the south-east Queensland / north-east NSW regions, followed by the coastal districts south of Shark Bay in Western Australia.
The world has entered a new era of global TCs in which economic and insured losses are doubling every 15 years.
A frequent problem in Australia is bushfires and according to the latest trends in fire danger indices, they are likely to increase in almost all locations nationally, leading to more frequent and extreme events, and longer fire seasons.
The rate of increase varies by location and will depend on weather system changes and site specific factors at regional scales, which means different regions may see different impacts on property values.
"Sea level rise is expected to accelerate around the Australian coastline but at differing rates. It is notable that past assessments of sea level rise are lower than those that recent observations show," the report said.
"Areas at risk of large and giant hail should progressively shift southwards, with the largest increase in risk likely to be in the region inland from the Hunter River south through the central and southern New South Wales highlands and central to eastern Victoria."
A note which hold both potential and danger for property values is that intense short duration rainfall is expected to increase almost everywhere in Australia, resulting in more frequent flooding in urban areas and in small river catchments. 
However this may lead to increase rainfall in drought-ridden areas of Australia which could positively effect property values particularly of the agricultural variety.
To read the full report click <a href="https://www.iag.com.au/severe-weather-changing-climate" target="_blank">here</a>.
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j.ballantyne1990-6AQqhLzZaK

How are Australia's changing weather extremes going to affect real estate?

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GUEST OBSERVATION
A <a href="https://www.greater.sydney/performance-indicator-addressing-urban-heat" target="_blank">recent report</a> by the Greater Sydney Commission singles out urban heat as one of four priority areas given our coming climate. It identifies tree canopy as the top response for reducing city temperatures and delivering amenity. However, the public conversation about urban heat often misses the complex relationship between trees, people and the built environment, which challenges this response.
In soon-to-be-published research supported by the <a href="https://www.landcom.com.au/approach/research-and-learning/universities/" target="_blank">Landcom University Roundtable</a> we found that responding to a more extreme climate requires new social practices and new relationships with the <a href="https://www.communityeconomies.org/index.php/publications/articles/commoning-social-life" target="_blank">commons</a>. Commons are the spaces, resources and knowledge shared by a community, who are, ideally, involved in the regeneration and care of those commons. Trees are an important social commons, but they also present multiple challenges.
Closing our doors to the great outdoors
For one, trees are an outdoor amenity, but we are spending more and more time <a href="https://press.anu.edu.au/publications/journals/human-ecology-review/human-ecology-review-volume-24-number-2" target="_blank">indoors</a>. For those who can afford it, air conditioning delivers cooling in the privacy of your own home or car – no need for trees.
However, staying in cool bedrooms and car rides mean <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/lonely-unfit-and-hooked-on-air-conditioning-is-this-the-summer-of-the-future-20190208-p50whm" target="_blank">less time outdoors</a> and with others, which isn’t ideal for human health and well-being.
Air conditioning also uses more fossil-fuel-based energy, which generates more greenhouse gas emissions. The result is more climate change.
Mixed feelings about trees
As the Greater Sydney Commission <a href="https://www.greater.sydney/performance-indicator-addressing-urban-heat" target="_blank">report</a> makes clear, tree canopy in Greater Sydney is roughly proportional to household wealth. The “leafy suburbs” are the wealthier ones. This means tree planting is an important investment in less wealthy parts of the city, which experience <a href="https://www.tai.org.au/sites/default/files/Western%20Sydney%20Heatwatch%20WEB.pdf" target="_blank">more extreme heat days</a>.
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/291435/original/file-20190909-175696-359nzu.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/291435/original/file-20190909-175696-359nzu.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt=""></a>
Number of days over 35°C recorded in various parts of Greater Sydney (July 2018-June 2019). <a class="source" href="https://www.greater.sydney/performance-indicator-addressing-urban-heat" target="_blank">© State of NSW through the Greater Sydney Commission</a>
However, <a href="/news">research</a> also shows people have mixed feelings about trees. In comparison to the neat shrubbery and easily maintained sunny plazas we’ve become used to in our cities, trees can be “messy” and “unpredictable”. Leaf litter can be slippery and natives like eucalypts, with their pendulous leaves, provide limited shade. People worry about large trees falling over or dropping branches.
Trees are often at the <a href="https://lsc.sa.gov.au/resources/TreesandtheLawBooklet.pdf" target="_blank">centre of disputes</a> between neighbours. They can also be perceived as a security problem – if trees reduce visibility they might provide cover for wrongdoers.
In addition, insurance companies can charge a premium if a property is <a href="https://www.gocompare.com/home-insurance/trees/" target="_blank">deemed at risk of damage by large trees</a>. As we experience more extreme weather, laws on vegetation clearing are <a href="https://www.thehills.nsw.gov.au/News-Publications/New-rules-to-give-property-owners-more-say-in-how-their-trees-are-managed" target="_blank">becoming more risk-averse</a>.
What trees where and when?
Urban development tends to give priority to roads and delivering the maximum number of dwellings on sites. This leaves little space for trees, which need to fit into crowded footpaths with ever-changing infrastructures. For example, will larger <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/business/telstra-pushes-for-5g-that-works-in-australia-20170109-gto0gz" target="_blank">trees interfere with 5G</a>?
When juggling priorities in the streetscape, trees often <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-01-27/100-yr-old-sydney-trees-to-be-felled-to-commemorate-anzacs/7116608" target="_blank">lose out</a>.
It’s an obvious point, but trees take time to grow. It can take many years for a planted sapling to become a shade tree. In that time there will be no shelter from the heat.
Also in that growing period, which can sometimes be unpredictable, trees need to be nurtured, especially in times of drought. And, once the tree is mature, fingers crossed that extreme weather events do not undo all those years of waiting.
So, while increasing tree canopy sounds like an obvious solution, trees are in fact a <a href="https://www.landcom.com.au/assets/Downloads/Library/f4e2252c79/Street-tree-design-guidelinesfactsheetlp.pdf" target="_blank">complex social challenge</a>. In our research, we point to ways some of these tree-related tensions can be managed.
Shade in the meantime
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/291428/original/file-20190909-175696-1wvg9yu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/291428/original/file-20190909-175696-1wvg9yu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=237&amp;fit=clip" alt=""></a>
A structure to support fast-growing vines has been built on one of Darwin’s hottest streets, but even these will take some time to grow. <a class="source" href="https://www.facebook.com/Darwinweloveit/posts/cavenagh-st-shade-structure-complete-with-all-the-sunshine-rain-we-are-getting-t/305429293391839/" target="_blank">Darwin We Love It/Facebook</a>
Shade is an important <a href="https://placesjournal.org/article/shade-an-urban-design-mandate/" target="_blank">civic resource</a>. Large, mature trees with spreading canopy provide the best shade, so strategic construction bans and <a href="/news">tree preservation orders</a> are an obvious first step.
However, if shady canopy is decades off, we need to think about other, creative ways to provide shade in the meantime to ensure, for example, that people of diverse abilities can walk their city in reasonable comfort. This might include temporary shade structures such as awnings, <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.yoursaypenrith.com.au/25909/documents/72131" target="_blank">bus shelters</a> and fast-growing vine-trellised walkways (if there is space to create troughs for soil and the structure doesn’t cause <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-07-15/firefighters-limited-access-darwin-cbd-shade-structure/9995608" target="_blank">access problems</a>).
And, as the <a href="https://www.cancer.org.au/preventing-cancer/reduce-your-risk/be-sunsmart" target="_blank">Cancer Council</a> consistently reminds us, we all need to adopt more climate-defensive clothing.
An important alternative is to follow our regional neighbours and start to populate parks and other public spaces at night. This suggests a need for removable shade, so we can take part in activities like <a href="https://www.landcom.com.au/news/media/new-community-lights-up-macarthur/" target="_blank">stargazing</a>.
Cultivating an intergenerational commons
Mature trees can die back or die altogether, so other trees should be maturing to take their place. Usually, experts design and maintain landscapes for others to enjoy.
However, users of the cooling services of parks could be invited into the process of planning and realising landscape designs. This would give them a say on the trees of which they have “shared custody”. Planting for succession can create an <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/299720121_Commoning_as_a_postcapitalist_politics/figures?lo=1" target="_blank">intergenerational sense of ownership over a shared place</a>.
Current planning practices tend to ignore wind and solar patterns. The result is urban forms that make heat worse by prioritising comfortable private interior spaces over the commons of public space. Designing cool cities means using trees, water and buildings to create cool corridors that work with cooling breezes – or even <a href="https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007%2F978-981-10-6638-2_10" target="_blank">summon</a> these in still, heat-trapping basins like Western Sydney.
These few examples point to new ways of living with trees as social commons, but they also point to new forms of commoning – collaborative forms of care and governance that invite people to <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.routledge.com/Sustainable-Practices-Social-Theory-and-Climate-Change-1st-Edition/Shove-Spurling/p/book/9780415540650" target="_blank">adopt new social practices</a> better suited to living well in the coming climate.
It is a positive step that state development agencies like <a href="https://www.landcom.com.au/organisation/about-landcom/" target="_blank">Landcom</a> aim to demonstrate global standards of liveability, resilience, inclusion, affordability and environmental quality. In so doing, they initiate transitions to these more commons-based ways of living.
<hr>
In addition to the authors of this article, the Cooling the Commons research team includes: Professor Katherine Gibson, Dr Louise Crabtree, Dr Stephen Healy and Dr Emma Power from the Institute for Culture and Society (ICS) at Western Sydney University (WSU), and Emeritus Professor Helen Armstrong from Queensland University of Technology (QUT).<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/120491/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;">
Abby Mellick Lopes, Senior Lecturer in Design, Western Sydney University.
Cameron Tonkinwise, Professor, School of Design, University of Technology Sydney.
This article is republished from <a href="http://theconversation.com" target="_blank">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/keeping-the-city-cool-isnt-just-about-tree-cover-it-calls-for-a-commons-based-climate-response-120491" target="_blank">original article</a>.
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Keeping the city cool isn’t just about tree cover – it calls for a commons-based climate response

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Imagine 31 years down the track – it’s 2050, and the time has arrived that Australia must be <a href="https://www.generationyes.com.au/why_net_zero">at (or near) net-zero emissions</a> to avoid the most detrimental impacts of climate change. Would we have achieved it?

Buildings produce <a href="http://www.bdaa.com.au/buildings-constitute-to-25-of-australias-emissions-how-will-they-be-turn-into-green-and-who-will-fund-that/">25% of Australia’s emissions</a>, which is why now is a crucial time to bring about greater accountability when it comes to greening our buildings. Thanks to environmental organisations such as Green Building Council Australia (GBCA) we now have a better chance of drastically reducing our country’s built environment embodied carbon rates, as more new builds and retrofits are being constructed to the GBCA’s Green Star Rating standards.

The team at Green Building Council Australia shared some insight into what the future of sustainability in Australia could look like, and how Green Star Ratings work.  

Urban.com.au: According to the Sustainable Development Goals index, Australia has some of the world’s highest carbon emissions per capita – what measures can current homeowners, as well as developers take to help reduce this and prevent future emissions?

Green Building Council Australia: We can all support sustainability by being conscious of our energy-consumption choices at home. There are opportunities for homeowners and developers to make a difference by retrofitting sustainability features such as solar panels and more efficient hot-water systems to improve the sustainability of an individual home. Removing drafts by sealing doors and windows, insulation and ceiling fans can make a massive difference – estimates suggest these measures alone could save homeowners up to $150 a year. This has the added benefit of reducing ongoing operation costs for residents.

U: Are there any areas of the National Construction Code that you feel could be amended to promote greater environmental sustainability?

GBCA: Energy standards in the National Construction Code need to be upgraded in order for new buildings to be fit for a zero-carbon future. All of the buildings being constructed today will be there in 2050 when we need to be at or near net-zero emissions.

We are supportive of the improvements to the 2019 National Construction Code, in particular, the changes to strengthen energy performance in commercial buildings. However, to meet the Code’s full potential, Australia needs a long-term plan with targets and a clear, regulated and transparent process for Code updates out to 2030, starting with a step-change for residential standards in 2022.

Last year, we supported the delivery of two major reports by the Australian Sustainable Built Environment Council and ClimateWorks Australia which strongly influenced a government commitment to set future energy targets in the Code. ASBEC’s work identified that implementing these opportunities across projected new buildings and renovations could deliver an estimated 10.8 million tonnes of cumulative emissions reductions to 2050, approximately equivalent to the annual emissions of the Loy Yang B coal power station and mine! Just three years delay in improvements to the National Construction Code could lock in an estimated $1.1 billion in wasted energy bills from homes alone out to 2050, and 3 million tonnes of additional emissions. Implementation details are still being worked out, but <a href="https://new.gbca.org.au/news/gbca-media-releases/gbca-welcomes-national-action-zero-energy-buildings/" target="_blank">we're very pleased</a> with the progress to date and looking forward to working across government to deliver change in the coming months.

U: What are some of the most creative environmentally conscious designs you’ve audited to date?

GBCA: Australia and New Zealand’s real estate industry has ranked best in the world for sustainability for eight years in a row, according to the investor-driven GRESB global benchmark. More than 2350 projects across Australia are Green Star-rated, including more than one-third of office space and shopping centres that attract about 1.3 million people daily. There are so many creative and sustainable projects, including:

<h2>WEST VILLAGE</h2>

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/westvillage2-1200x850.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="West Village. Credit: Sekisui House"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="411" src="/s3/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/westvillage2-1200x850.jpg?itok=p9IapVqs" title="West Village. Credit: Sekisui House" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>West Village. Credit: Sekisui House</figcaption></figure><figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/west_village_factory_lane_feature_800.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="West Village. Credit: Sekisui House"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="435" src="/s3/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/west_village_factory_lane_feature_800.jpg?itok=ct4eaS_S" title="West Village. Credit: Sekisui House" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>West Village. Credit: Sekisui House</figcaption></figure>Sekisui House’s $1 billion residential and mixed-use development, West Village, is changing its local area through its innovative and sustainable design. Awarded a 6-Green Star Communities rating, the Brisbane development is targeting strong environmental, economic and social impacts with features such as rainwater and greywater recycling for the gardens and public realm, a zero food waste to landfill target, LED lighting, solar energy generation, 10,000 plants, a car-share programme and 1600 bicycle parks. The development, which spans 2.6 hectares in inner-city West End, will also offset 100 per cent of its energy use.

<h2>AURA</h2>

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/2_900x600.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Aura. Credit: Stockland"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="329" src="/s3/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/2_900x600.jpg?itok=tpOQVDIy" title="Aura. Credit: Stockland" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Aura. Credit: Stockland</figcaption></figure><figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/aura_sunshine_coast_aerial_900x500_1.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Aura. Credit: Stockland"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="329" src="/s3/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/aura_sunshine_coast_aerial_900x500_1.jpg?itok=LDrJCvVL" title="Aura. Credit: Stockland" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Aura. Credit: Stockland</figcaption></figure>Stockland’s Sunshine Coast master-planned development has achieved a 6-Green Star Communities rating, a significant achievement for Australia’s biggest precinct under single ownership. Water use and quality is being preserved and monitored annually, with advanced water treatment and recycling. More than 700 hectares of land will be rehabilitated from its former forestry use into a conservation area. Community-building elements including affordable housing, social infrastructure and education and skills development were also built into the project from the early stages of development. It is a model for the development of future communities in Australia.

U: From the establishment of the Green Star Rating system in 2003 to today, how have your regulations evolved, and what new considerations have you had to consider in recent years?

GBCA: Technological and social advances have spurred significant changes to Green Star, with more to come. Green Star is a holistic rating tool that takes into account not just environmental sustainability, but also social and economic benefits, too. The introduction of Green Star – Performance has driven the ratings of vast portfolios of buildings in operation, and Green Star – Communities has seen our impact extend to master-planned communities around Australia that will be home to more than half a million people. Today and in the coming years, we are continuing to ensure our rating tools support leadership through our Future Focus program. We want to maintain the transformative impact and integrity of Green Star in the fast-changing world. Specifically, the GBCA is focusing on carbon emissions as we move to a net-zero carbon future for our built environment. So from mid-2020, future 6-Green Star rated buildings will have to use 100 per cent renewable energy sources to qualify the rating. later, getting five stars will require the same achievement.  

U: What do you believe is the main motivation for developers to opt into the voluntary Green Star Rating system?

GBCA: Green Star-rated buildings make business sense. They help meet increasing investor, tenant and employee demand for buildings and assets that are demonstrably sustainable. This leads to improved returns and savings from these buildings in operation. All in all these buildings save money, create healthier and happier environments for people, minimise carbon and energy emissions, and build a better future for us all.

U: What are some of the main challenges in retro-fitting heritage buildings to raise their sustainability credentials?

GBCA: There are challenges in retrofitting heritage properties to comply with Green Star ratings, but there are many examples where it has been achieved.

<h2>Old Perth Boys’ School</h2>

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/ourproj_opbs_hero.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Old Perth Boys’ School. Credit: Curtin.edu.au"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="387" src="/s3/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/ourproj_opbs_hero.jpg?itok=-Ydnzd6W" title="Old Perth Boys’ School. Credit: Curtin.edu.au" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Old Perth Boys’ School. Credit: Curtin.edu.au</figcaption></figure> 

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/oldboysschool_dyo_events_wa_1.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Old Perth Boys’ School. Credit: Jasmine Ann Gardiner"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="387" src="/s3/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/oldboysschool_dyo_events_wa_1.jpg?itok=wh-zNbil" title="Old Perth Boys’ School. Credit: Jasmine Ann Gardiner" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Old Perth Boys’ School. Credit: Jasmine Ann Gardiner</figcaption></figure> 

Curtin University and The National Trust of WA successfully overhauled the interior of the 1854-built Old Perth Boys’ School to a 6-Green Star standard. Total greenhouse gas emissions reduced by more than half (55 per cent reduction), energy for lighting dropped 80 per cent, and power for air-conditioning fell 65 per cent throughout the limestone building. Water use also declined by 35 per cent through efficient fixtures and fittings. Engineered timber was used for its low whole-of-life environmental impact. The outcome was facilitated while protecting and enhancing its heritage value and creating a contemporary space that is well used.

<h2>Sydney Opera House</h2>

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/a2d639e2c08cd49f7aba4ede1c435c06.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="The Sydney Opera House. Credit: Lonely Planet"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="749" src="/s3/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/a2d639e2c08cd49f7aba4ede1c435c06.jpg?itok=sd--_AVI" title="The Sydney Opera House. Credit: Lonely Planet" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>The Sydney Opera House. Credit: Lonely Planet</figcaption></figure><figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/concerthall_venuehire_1600x900_daniel_boud.jpg.image_.800.450.high_.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Concert Hall. Credit: Sydney Opera House"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="326" src="/s3/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/concerthall_venuehire_1600x900_daniel_boud.jpg.image_.800.450.high_.jpg?itok=BdwRrDC1" title="Concert Hall. Credit: Sydney Opera House" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Concert Hall. Credit: Sydney Opera House</figcaption></figure>A World Heritage-listed icon and a busy performance space, the Sydney Opera House has also achieved 4-Green Star rating for its sustainability. Lighting upgrades installed efficient centrally-controlled LEDs that cut the power usage in the Concert Hall 75 per cent. Innovative solutions for cleaning – including the use of olive oil and bicarbonate of soda instead of harsh chemicals – also assist to maintain air quality.

U: Which companies are currently striving to attain Volume Certification across their properties? 

GBCA: In Australia, we are fortunate to have so many companies leading internationally using Green Star across their portfolios. Our members are world leaders. There are many examples on our website, for example Vicinity Centres, Dexus Group, Charter Hall, Frasers Property are all notable examples of very large portfolios being rated Green Star.

For volume certifications, recently, the Commonwealth Bank of Australia boosted the sustainability of its branches and reduced its energy emissions almost 54 per cent from its 2009 levels, through volume certification. In keeping with its long-term sustainability strategy, 20 branches achieved 5-Green Star or 6-Green Star ratings in two years. Volume certification enabled shared features across the branches to be rated once, then repeated across the network.

U: Which international environmental movements have impacted your rating framework, and what has been the public and political response to your policies?

GBCA: Green Star recognises and responds to global and domestic movements and initiatives influencing our industry and the built environment. Some of the drivers which are impacting on Green Star and helping to influence the development of the next iteration of Green Star tools include the United Nationals Sustainable Development Goals, Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark (GRESB), the IPCC Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5 degrees, the Task-Force for Climate-Related Financial Disclosures and the National Cities Performance Framework.

We have been working with all levels of government to support more sustainable, energy-efficient buildings as a way to cut costs for consumers and businesses and reduce Australia’s carbon emissions. <a href="https://gbca-web.s3.amazonaws.com/media/documents/gbca-federal-election-platform-2019-final.pdf" target="_blank">Our policies</a> resonate with both government and communities because healthy, productive and resilient buildings and communities are the foundation of a strong society. Having the conditions to foster these places should be a priority for all governments. Future Focus will encompass social and economic factors to ensure Green Star remains a holistic rating tool.

U: As the Green Star Rating system continues to modify its standards, will buildings that have gained certification need to reapply to meet new standards?

GBCA: While some of the criteria and benchmarks for Green Star ratings will change, our philosophy at the GBCA will not. Our goal is still to create healthy, resilient and positive places for people to work, live and play. We believe we can achieve this through the sustainable transformation of Australia’s buildings, cities and communities. Existing Green Star-rated properties will not lose their certification but new buildings, communities and fit-outs will have to meet the contemporary standards. Green Star-rated buildings will retain their competitive advantage in the crowded commercial and residential property markets and Green Star-rated buildings will continue to save money, create healthier environments and improve the nation’s environmental sustainability – one building, or community, or fit-out at a time.

U: What are the 3 key sustainable rules you suggest we should live by?

GBCA: At the GBCA, we believe that everyone is responsible for working towards sustainability, not only in the built environment but in all areas of our lives. The GBCA is supportive of the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals. We think everyone should jump on the UN’s Sustainable Development website and have a read of <a href="https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/takeaction/">The Lazy Person’s Guide to Saving the World</a>.  We are all part of the solution, and luckily there are some easy things that we can all adopt into our routines which can make a big difference.

Lead image: Curtin University's 2015 Master-plan was the first to receive a 5 Star Green Star Rating in Australia. Credit: Curtin University. 
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Olivia Round

A greener future: Green Building Council Australia discusses climate change

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GUEST OBSERVATION
Outgoing secretary of the Prime Minister’s Department Martin Parkinson has condemned “entrenched disadvantage” in Australia, in his valedictory address on leaving the public service.
Parkinson also warned it was imperative that Australia did not allow “the kind of retreat from openness and vilification of differences” that had happened in some other countries.
During his long career Parkinson headed the climate change department (now defunct) and treasury (from which he was sacked by Tony Abbott), as well as the prime minister’s department, where he will now be succeeded by Phil Gaetjens, formerly Scott Morrison’s chief of staff and most recently head of treasury.
In his Monday address Parkinson said Australia had not had “the rising income inequality at the top end” of the United States and much of western Europe, “although wealth has become more unequally distributed off the back of rising house prices”.
But this was a “low bar”, he said.
“Our history has bequeathed a degree of entrenched disadvantage that should be seen as a disgrace in any country, but particularly one as developed as Australia,” he said.
More than half of those in the bottom decile in 2000 were still in the lowest 20% 15 years later, he said.
Ideally, people should only be at the bottom of the income distribution spectrum temporarily due to life events, not whole families and communities sentenced to it for generations.
If you want a single thing to blame for the disadvantage we see in Australia, particularly in our remote areas, look no further than an understandable lack of hope. With those kind of odds, anything else would be irrational.
A key to evening people’s chances was to have the best education system that could be achieved and a culture valuing learning, Parkinson said.
He said Australia would need to use all its advantages to sustain its prosperity and security in the future. These included its multicultural society, a merit-based culture and a market-based approach.
There are really only two choices for this country. We can take pride in our diversity and use it as an advantage when interacting with the world, or we can hunker down behind borders and slowly gnaw at each other.
Parkinson said that “to their credit, our parliamentary leaders have maintained a remarkable commitment to an open economy and social cohesion, despite immense pressures the other way”.
On the international front, Parkinson said many regional and global institutions, including the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, the G20 and APEC, were struggling.
It’s particularly hard for the WTO to enforce trade rules when the largest countries are openly flouting them.
The United States largely built this order in its own image, under-writing it with security guarantees. We benefit immensely from this order and must help support it wherever we can.
Parkinson reflected on his disappointment at his dismissal as treasury secretary. “I received the ‘wooden spoon’ as head of the treasury in 2013 – a job I enjoyed and in which I aspired to follow the nation-building work done by predecessors such as Chris Higgins, Ted Evans and Ken Henry.
"It was a drawn out departure, and I couldn’t even look forward to sitting on the couch to watch a care free game on the weekend as the Essendon Bombers also had a terrible season.”The Conversation

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/michelle-grattan-20316" target="_blank">Michelle Grattan</a>, Professorial Fellow, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-canberra-865" target="_blank">University of Canberra</a>
This article is republished from <a href="http://theconversation.com" target="_blank">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/martin-parkinson-declares-entrenched-disadvantage-in-australia-a-disgrace-122410" target="_blank">original article</a>.
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Martin Parkinson declares 'entrenched disadvantage' in Australia a disgrace: Michelle Grattan

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GUEST OBSERVATION
Farming emits greenhouse gases, but the land can also store them.
We can’t achieve the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement without managing emissions from land use, according to a <a href="https://www.ipcc.ch/report/srccl/" target="_blank">special report released today</a> by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
Emissions from land use, largely agriculture, forestry and land clearing, make up some 22% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. Counting the entire food chain (including fertiliser, transport, processing, and sale) takes this contribution up to 29%.
The report, which synthesises information from some 7,000 scientific papers, found there is no way to keep global warming under 2℃ without significant reductions in land sector emissions.
Land puts out emissions – and absorbs them
The land plays a vital role in the carbon cycle, both by absorbing greenhouse gases and by releasing them into the atmosphere. This means our land resources are both part of the climate change problem and potentially part of the solution.
Improving how we manage the land could reduce climate change at the same time as it improves agricultural sustainability, supports biodiversity, and increases food security.
While the food system emits nearly a third of the world’s greenhouse gases – a situation <a href="https://theconversation.com/australia-is-a-global-top-ten-deforester-and-queensland-is-leading-the-way-87259" target="_blank">also reflected in Australia</a> – land-based ecosystems absorb the equivalent of about 22% of global greenhouse gas emissions. This happens through natural processes that store carbon in soil and plants, in both farmed lands and managed forests as well as in natural “<a href="https://theconversation.com/we-desperately-need-to-store-more-carbon-seagrass-could-be-the-answer-105524" target="_blank">carbon sinks</a>” such as forests, seagrass and wetlands.
There are opportunities to reduce the emissions related to land use, especially food production, while at the same time protecting and expanding these greenhouse gas sinks.
But it is also immediately obvious that the land sector cannot achieve these goals by itself. It will require substantial reductions in fossil fuel emissions from our energy, transport, industrial, and infrastructure sectors.
Overburdened land
So, what is the current state of our land resources? <a href="https://www.ipcc.ch/report/srccl/" target="_blank">Not that great</a>.
The report shows there are unprecedented rates of global land and freshwater used to provide food and other products for the record global population levels and consumption rates.
For example, consumption of food calories per person worldwide has increased by about one-third since 1961, and the average person’s consumption of meat and vegetable oils has more than doubled.
The pressure to increase agricultural production has helped push about a quarter of the Earth’s ice-free land area into various states of degradation via loss of soil, nutrients and vegetation.
Simultaneously, biodiversity has declined globally, largely because of deforestation, cropland expansion and unsustainable land-use intensification. Australia has experienced <a href="https://theconversation.com/to-reduce-fire-risk-and-meet-climate-targets-over-300-scientists-call-for-stronger-land-clearing-laws-113172" target="_blank">much the same trends</a>.
Climate change exacerbates land degradation
Climate change is already having a major impact on the land. Temperatures over land are rising at almost twice the rate of global average temperatures.
Linked to this, the frequency and intensity of <a href="https://theconversation.com/climate-change-means-more-extreme-weather-heres-what-the-uk-can-expect-if-emissions-keep-increasing-112745" target="_blank">extreme events</a> such as heatwaves and flooding rainfall has increased. The global area of drylands in drought has increased by over 40% since 1961.
These and other changes have reduced agricultural productivity in many regions – <a href="https://theconversation.com/australian-farmers-are-adapting-to-climate-change-76939" target="_blank">including Australia</a>. Further climate changes will likely spur soil degradation, loss of vegetation, biodiversity and permafrost, and increases in fire damage and coastal degradation.
Water will become more scarce, and our food supply will become less stable. Exactly how these risks will evolve will depend on population growth, consumption patterns and also how the global community responds.
Overall, proactive and informed management of our land (for food, water and biodiversity) will become increasingly important.
Stopping land degradation helps everyone
Tackling the interlinked problems of land degradation, climate change adaptation and mitigation, and food security can deliver win-wins for farmers, communities, governments, and ecosystems.
The report provides many examples of on-ground and policy options that could improve the management of agriculture and forests, to enhance production, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and make these areas more robust to climate change. Leading Australian farmers are already <a href="https://www.aciar.gov.au" target="_blank">heading down these paths</a>, and we have a lot to teach the world about how to do this.
We may also need to reassess what we demand from the land. Farmed animals are a major contributor to these emissions, so plant-based diets are increasingly being <a href="https://theconversation.com/is-vegetarianism-healthier-we-asked-five-experts-112133" target="_blank">adopted</a>.
Similarly, the report found about 25-30% of food globally is lost or wasted. Reducing this can significantly lower emissions, and ease pressure on agricultural systems.
How do we make this happen?
Many people around the world are doing impressive work in addressing some of these problems. But the solutions they generate are not necessarily widely used or applied comprehensively.
To be successful, coordinated policy packages and land management approaches are pivotal. Inevitably, all solutions are highly location-specific and contextual, and it is vital to bring together local communities and industry, as well as governments at all levels.
Given the mounting impacts of climate change on food security and land condition, there is no time to lose.
<hr>
Mark Howden, Director, Climate Change Institute, Australian National University.<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/121551/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;">
The author acknowledges the contributions to authorship of this article by Clare de Castella, Communications Manager, ANU Climate Change Institute.<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/121551/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1">
This article is republished from <a href="http://theconversation.com" target="_blank">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/un-climate-change-report-land-clearing-and-farming-contribute-a-third-of-the-worlds-greenhouse-gases-121551" target="_blank">original article</a>.
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Land clearing and farming contribute a third of the world’s greenhouse gases: Mark Howden

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GUEST OBSERVATION
With time <a href="https://theconversation.com/australia-has-two-decades-to-avoid-the-most-damaging-impacts-of-climate-change-104409" target="_blank">running out</a> for us to make deep reductions in greenhouse emissions, you may well be wondering what you personally can do to minimise your own greenhouse footprint.
The average greenhouse emissions per Australian are the equivalent of <a href="/news">21 tonnes</a> of carbon dioxide per year. How can you offset or neutralise your personal share of these carbon emissions in the most cost-effective way?
There are some places where the government is willing to take the necessary action on your behalf. The ACT government, for example, is on track to <a href="https://www.environment.act.gov.au/cc" target="_blank">eliminate</a> greenhouse gas emissions generated within Canberra by 2045, and indeed by 2020 will make its own electricity sector <a href="https://www.environment.act.gov.au/cc" target="_blank">carbon-neutral</a>.
The latter feat was achieved by contracting several new zero-emission solar and wind farms to produce renewable electricity equivalent to Canberra’s consumption. Canberra retail electricity prices continue to be among the <a href="https://www.datocms-assets.com/6959/1545274459-2018-residential-electricity-price-trends-final-report.PDF" target="_blank">lowest</a> in Australia.
Take advantage of solar and wind
If you don’t live in Canberra, you need another way to neutralise your emissions. Fortunately, the cost of solar photovoltaic (PV) and wind power have both fallen rapidly. Australia has long been in the midst of a boom in rooftop PV, and many Gigawatts of ground-mounted PV and wind farms are being <a href="http://theconversation.com/at-its-current-rate-australia-is-on-track-for-%2050-renewable-electricity-in-2025-102903" target="_blank">built</a> around the country. This has put Australia on track to reach 50% renewable electricity in 2024. Each Megawatt hour (MWh) of electricity <a href="/news">generated</a> by renewables reduces electricity from coal by a similar amount, and therefore avoids about 0.9 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions.
<iframe src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/7Gd1z/2/" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" width="100%" height="450"></iframe>
The above pie chart, based on <a href="/news">federal government data</a>, shows the various sources of Australian greenhouse emissions in 2017. Electricity production is the largest source and can be neutralised by substituting PV and wind for coal and gas. Emissions from electricity use in commerce and industry, the land sector, industrial processes and high temperature heat is largely beyond your control, however, so it’s perhaps best to focus your attention closer to home.
Cost-effective action
However, putting solar panels on your roof, switching to an electric car, and substituting electric heat pumps for gas water and space heating can (or soon will) be cost-effective steps that you can take to reduce your greenhouse footprint. And in the long term, these will either pay for themselves or even end up saving you money.
A 10-kilowatt solar PV system installed on your roof will produce <a href="http://apvi.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/CMC_CanberraSolarPotential_Final_lowres.pdf" target="_blank">about 14 MWh</a> of electricity per year. Since coal power stations produce 0.9 tonnes of carbon dioxide per MWh this save about 12 tonnes of CO2 emissions per year.
To offset your 21 tonnes of CO2 per year, you would therefore need to install 15kW of solar PV capacity for each person who lives in your house. So if four people live in your house, you would need a 60kW solar system.
But a typical rooftop PV system now has a <a href="http://pv-map.apvi.org.au/analyses" target="_blank">rating</a> of 5-15kW, and many homes lack the roof space needed to install a larger system. Ways to address this are described below.
Road to success
A typical car <a href="https://www.greenvehicleguide.gov.au/pages/Information/VehicleEmissions" target="_blank">produces</a> about 190 grams of CO2 per kilometre of travel, and the average Australian car <a href="http://www.roymorgan.com/findings/australian-moterists-drive-%20average-15530km-201305090702" target="_blank">travels</a> 15,500 km per year, thus producing 3 tonnes of CO2.
Moderately priced electric cars are expected to be widely available in the early 2020s, which can travel about 6,000 km for each MWh of electricity consumed.
Once the premium for an electric vehicle drops below about A$10,000, the lifetime cost of an electric car (including buying, maintaining and charging it) will be competitive with conventional cars.
A 2kW PV panel on your house roof will produce enough electricity for 16,000km of electric car driving per year, thus offsetting your entire emissions from motoring (3 tonnes of CO2), assuming you drive an average amount each year and previously drove a conventional model.
Off the gas
Most natural gas use within a home is for water and space heating. Gas can readily be replaced by electric heat pumps, which move heat from the air outside the home into your hot water tank or reverse cycle air conditioning system. <a href="http://www.eec.org.au/for-energy-users/technologies-2/heat-pumps" target="_blank">Heat pumps</a> typically move four units of heat for each unit of electricity consumed and can be readily powered by rooftop solar panels, supplemented by electricity from the grid.
For the average household, replacement gas with heat pumps can readily reduce household greenhouse gas emissions by up to 5 tonnes per year, at lower lifecycle cost than using gas. Replacement of gas cookers with electric induction cookers allows elimination of gas altogether from the home.
Fly less
Limiting air travel is one of the most effective tactics to cut your personal emissions. Short-haul flights or flights with few passengers <a href="https://www.eci.ox.ac.uk/research/energy/downloads/jardine09-carboninflights.pdf" target="_blank">increase</a> the emissions intensity per passenger. A mostly full return trip from Australia to London (34,000km) will typically generate about 4 tonnes of CO₂ per passenger.
When you do decide to fly, think about how you can offset the emissions directly. Adding 1kW to your rooftop PV system can offset one return trip to London for one person every 3 years.
Will it pay for itself?
Now that we’ve looked at these various strategies, let’s now consider a family home with three occupants and one car. A 10kW PV system on the roof can make a substantial reduction in their greenhouse footprint by offsetting 14 tonnes of CO2 per year. Switching to an electric car saves 3 tonnes per year and substituting electric heat pumps for gas saves a further 1- 5 tonnes per year.
An additional 5 kW of rooftop PV is needed to neutralise an average amount of air travel, and to power the electric car and heat pumps. This 15kW system would cost about A$20,000 up front and would last 25 years. However, rooftop PV systems are now so cheap compared with the retail electricity tariff that the money invested is generally recovered within 10 years.
The total emissions savings estimated above are about 25 tonnes per year, per household, which is still significantly short of the 63 tonnes (on average) that this family emits. To be fully carbon-neutral, one option is for the family to invest in a wind or solar farm.
The required share of a wind farm or solar farm is about 10 kW or 20 kW respectively per three-person family, noting that a 3MW wind turbine produces nearly double the amount of electricity per year of a 3MW PV farm (single axis tracking), which in turn produces 40% more electricity per year than an equivalent amount of roof-mounted solar panels.
The up-front cost of this investment would be about A$25,000 per family, and it would return a steady income sufficient to repay the initial outlay (with interest) over the 25-year lifetime of the system.
So in summary, assuming that you have the means to meet the (not insubstantial) upfront costs, doing your part to preserve a living and vibrant planet for our children ultimately has a low or even negative net cost.<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/103922/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;">
Andrew Blakers, Professor of Engineering, Australian National University
This article is republished from <a href="http://theconversation.com" target="_blank">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-to-neutralise-your-greenhouse-gas-footprint-103922" target="_blank">original article</a>.
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How to neutralise your greenhouse gas footprint: ANU's Andrew Blakers

How climate change could affect the economy and monetary policy: RBA's Guy Debelle

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GUEST OBSERVATION
Just 20 countries are home to 94% of the world’s remaining wilderness, excluding the high seas and Antarctica, according to our new global wilderness map, <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-018-07183-6" target="_blank">published today in Nature</a>.
A century ago, wilderness extended over most of the planet. Today, only 23% of land – excluding Antarctica – and 13% of the ocean remains free from the harmful impacts of human activities.
More than 70% of remaining wilderness is in just five countries: Australia, Russia, Canada, the United States (Alaska), and Brazil.
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/243402/original/file-20181101-173902-1xqqmg.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/243402/original/file-20181101-173902-1xqqmg.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt=""></a>
The last of the wild. Remaining marine wilderness is shown in blue; terrestrial wilderness in green. Watson et al. 2018
We argue that wilderness can still be saved. But success will depend on the steps these “mega-wilderness nations” take, or fail to take, to secure the future of Earth’s last remaining wild places.
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/243401/original/file-20181101-173884-1ai76gk.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/243401/original/file-20181101-173884-1ai76gk.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt=""></a>
Mega-wilderness countries. James Allan, Author provided
Wilderness areas are vast tracts of untamed and unmodified land and sea. Regardless of where they are – from the lowland rainforests of Papua New Guinea, to the high taiga forests of Russia’s Arctic, to the vast deserts of inland Australia, to the great mixing zones of the Pacific, Antarctic and Indian Oceans – these areas are the last strongholds for endangered species, and perform vital functions such as storing carbon, and buffering us against the effects of climate change. In many wilderness areas, indigenous peoples, who are often the most politically and economically marginalised of all peoples, depend on them for their livelihoods and cultures.
Yet despite being important and highly threatened, wilderness areas and their values are completely overlooked in international environmental policy. In most countries, wilderness is not formally defined, mapped or protected. This means there is nothing to hold nations, industry, society and community to account for wilderness conservation.
Beyond boundaries
Almost two-thirds of marine wilderness is in the high seas, beyond nations’ immediate control. This effectively makes it a marine wild west, where fishing fleets have a free-for-all. There are some laws to manage high-seas fishing, but there is no legally binding agreement governing high-seas conservation, although the United Nations is currently negotiating such a treaty. Ensuring marine wilderness is off-limits to exploitation will be crucial.
And we cannot forget Antarctica, arguably Earth’s greatest remaining wilderness and one of the last places on the planet where vast regions have never experienced a human footfall.
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/243408/original/file-20181101-173887-31cpf9.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/243408/original/file-20181101-173887-31cpf9.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt=""></a>
Antarctica, the (almost) untouched continent. Author provided
While Antarctica’s isolation and extreme climate have helped protect it from the degradation experienced elsewhere, climate change, human activity, pollution, and invasive species increasingly threaten the continent’s wildlife and wilderness.
Parties to the <a href="https://ats.aq/e/ats_keydocs.htm" target="_blank">Antarctic Treaty</a> must act on their commitments to help reduce human impacts, and we need to urgently curb global carbon emissions before it is too late to save Antarctica.
Our maps show how little wilderness is left, and how much has been lost in the past few decades. It is hard to believe, but between 1993 and 2009 a staggering 3.3 million square kilometres of terrestrial wilderness – an area larger than India – was lost to human settlement, farming, mining and other pressures. In the ocean, the only regions free of industrial fishing, pollution and shipping are confined to the poles or remote Pacific island nations.
Saving wilderness
Almost every nation has signed international environmental agreements that aim to end the biodiversity crisis, halt dangerous climate change, and achieve global sustainable development goals. We believe Earth’s remaining wilderness can only be secured if its importance is immediately recognised within these agreements.
At a <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.cbd.int/conferences/2018" target="_blank">summit in Egypt</a> later this month, the 196 signatory nations to the <a href="https://www.cbd.int/" target="_blank">Convention on Biological Diversity</a> will work alongside scientists on developing a strategic plan for conservation beyond 2020. This is a unique opportunity for all nations to recognise that Earth’s wilderness are dwindling, and to mandate a global target for wilderness conservation.
A global target of retaining 100% of all remaining wilderness is achievable, although it would require stopping industrial activities like mining, logging, and fishing from expanding to new places. But committing explicitly to such a target would make it easier for governments and non-governmental organisations to leverage funding and mobilise action on the ground in nations that are still developing economically.
Similarly, the role of wilderness in guarding against climate change – such as by storing huge amounts of carbon – could also be formally documented in the <a href="https://unfccc.int/" target="_blank">UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)</a>, which holds its <a href="https://unfccc.int/katowice" target="_blank">annual conference</a> in Poland next month. This would incentivise nations to make wilderness protection central to their climate strategies.
Mechanisms such as <a href="https://redd.unfccc.int/" target="_blank">REDD+</a>, which allows developing nations to claim compensation for conserving tropical forests they had planned to clear, could be extended to other carbon-rich wilderness areas such as intact seagrasses, and even to wildernesses in rich countries that do not receive climate aid, such as the Canadian tundra.
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/243394/original/file-20181101-173890-ksm1n1.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/243394/original/file-20181101-173890-ksm1n1.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt=""></a>
The Boreal/Taiga Forest holds one third of the world’s terrestrial carbon. Keith Williams, Author provided
Nations have ample opportunities, through legislation and rewarding good behaviour, to prevent road and shipping lane expansion, and enforcing limits on large-scale developments and industrial fishing in their wilderness areas. They can also establish protected areas to slow the spread of industrial activity into wilderness.
A diverse set of approaches must be embraced, and the private sector must work with governments so that industry protects, rather than harms, wilderness areas. Key to this will be lenders’ investment and performance standards, particularly for organisations such as the World Bank, the International Finance Corporation, and the regional development banks.
Our planet faces not just a species extinction crisis, but also a wilderness extinction crisis. Once lost, our wild places are gone forever. This may be our last opportunity to save the last of the wild, we cannot afford to miss it.<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/106072/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;">
James Allan, Postdoctoral research fellow, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland
James Watson, Professor, The University of Queensland; Jasmine Lee, PhD candidate, biodiversity conservation and climate change, The University of Queensland,\
Kendall Jones, PhD candidate, Geography, Planning and Environmental Management, The University of Queensland
This article is republished from <a href="http://theconversation.com" target="_blank">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/earths-wilderness-is-vanishing-and-just-a-handful-of-nations-can-save-it-106072" target="_blank">original article</a>.
Main photo: Brazil, home to the Amazon, is one of just five ‘mega-wilderness’ countries. CIFOR, Author provided
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Earth’s wilderness is vanishing, and just a handful of nations can save it

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GUEST OBSERVATION
If you’re reading this article in your office, chances are the air conditioning is set to around 22°C. Setting the temperature to 25°C could cut your office’s daily air-conditioning energy consumption by 18%, drive down electricity bills and help save the planet.
But would it be too hot to think?
Not according to our study, published recently in the journal Building and Environment.
Our experiment found that office workers’ “cognitive load” – the total amount of mental effort being used in the working memory – was not significantly affected by a little temperature boost.
What we did and how we did it
To test our hypothesis, we asked volunteers to sit some performance tests, under various air-con temperature settings. We ran the experiments at 22°C and 25°C.
Our experiments took place in the University of Sydney’s Indoor Environmental Quality Laboratory climate chamber. It has a floor area of about 25 square metres, and is designed such that it’s easy for us to control the room temperature.
Participants sat at separate workstations, each consisting of a desk, a chair, and a computer.
A total of 26 office workers (12 men and 14 women) volunteered as subjects in this study.
A little over 70% of the participants were aged between 31 and 50 years and about a third were aged 30 years or under. These people had diverse employment circumstances, ranging from professional (35%) and technical (31%) to managerial (15%) and administrative (19%). Participants wore their normal office clothes, and were also free to adjust their clothing as they liked during the experiments.
All participants, in groups of two to four, were given half an hour to acclimatise to the environment, and then sat two one-hour tests (with a break in between the tests).
Before they sat the tests, our participants were fitted with a number of electrodes worn via a headset, so we could monitor their brain activity and “cognitive load” – how hard their brains were working – through an electroencephalogram (EEG). They also wore a heart rate monitor.
During each one-hour experiment session, participants first filled in a questionnaire designed to ascertain how comfortable they were with the room temperature. Then it was time to test how their brain power coped at the different temperature settings.
Assessing ‘cognitive load’
The first test they did is called the Cambridge Brain Science (CBS) test, which has been used in many studies aimed at measuring cognitive performance.
<img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/213101/original/file-20180404-189813-1wdrvpq.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=237&amp;fit=clip" alt="">
The NASA Task Load Index (NASA-TLX) is a widely used assessment tool that rates perceived workload. Wikimedia, CC BY
Then, we asked them to fill in a questionnaire aimed at determining how challenging they found that task. This questionnaire is called the NASA Task Load Index and asks participants questions such as: how much mental and perceptual activity was required? Was the task easy or demanding, simple or complex?
After a 10 minute break, we then asked our participants to complete three different difficulty levels of another brain-power test, called the Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test (PASAT). Again, when the test was over we asked them to fill in the NASA-TLX questionnaire to ascertain how cognitively challenging they found the test.
At the end of the one hour experiment session, our test participants then completed the thermal comfort questionnaire again.
Our results showed that their CBS test scores were not significantly affected by temperature.
In fact, many of the participants performed even better at a warmer temperature of 25°C, (but this could be due to what scientists call “the learning effect”, meaning it is not uncommon to do better the second time you sit a test compared to the first).
And when we analysed and compared the EEG and heart rate monitoring results during the PASAT tests, we did not find any significant difference, whether the room temperature was at 22°C or 25°C.
Why does this matter?
A typical Australian commercial lease stipulates indoor air temperatures of between 20°C and 24°C. This means that building managers or landlords who set the indoor temperature higher than 24°C during summer run the risk of breaching leases and incurring penalties.
However, the research shows there is no empirical evidence that this temperature range should be maintained. The significant over-cooling in commercial buildings not only often leads to office workers complaining their workplaces are too cold, but also affects building energy use, greenhouse gas emissions and electricity bills.
The standard 22°C setpoint for office air conditioning has prevailed in Australia for over a decade now. Many employers may fear that boosting the office temperature will make it too hot to think, and reduce worker productivity.
<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/93789/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1">However, our study shows that boosting the office temperature a little can save energy and keep office workers comfortable without sacrificing their cognitive performance.
Dian Tjondronegoro, Professor of IT, Southern Cross University
Christhina Candido, Senior Lecturer, University of Sydney
Fan Zhang, Lecturer in Architectural Science, Griffith University
Shamila Haddad, Research Associate, University of Sydney
This article was originally published on <a href="http://theconversation.com" target="_blank">The Conversation</a>. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/chill-out-a-slightly-warmer-office-wont-make-it-too-hot-to-think-93789" target="_blank">original article</a>.
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Can we help save the planet from the office?

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GUEST OBSERVER
A lot of faith is vested in cities to tackle climate change, and with good reason. A day after the June 1 declaration that the US would exit the Paris Agreement, 82 American “climate mayors” committed to upholding the accord.
By August 4, when the US gave formal notice of its withdrawal, there were 372 “climate mayors” representing 67 million Americans. 
In Australia, too, national intransigence has led to greater expectations of local actions. The Climate Council’s July report declares that deep cuts in cities’ greenhouse gas emissions can achieve 70% of Australia’s Paris goals. 
The report notes that a majority of Australian cities have adopted climate policies. Many are committed to 100% renewable energy or zero emissions. One of the report’s authors argues that, even without national leadership, Australian cities can “just get on with the job of implementing climate policies”.
Many European cities have ambitious emission-reduction targets. Copenhagen plans to be the world’s first carbon-neutral capital by 2025. Stockholm aims to be fossil-fuel-free by 2040. 
So, at first glance, cities do appear to be leading the way. 
A word of caution
We support local decarbonisation and the desire for cities to be progressive actors. Yet there are ample grounds to be dubious about cities’ ability to deliver on their commitments. 
Sam Brooks, former director of the District of Columbia’s Energy Division, has laid out sobering evidence on the reality of climate action in US cities. 
Brooks supports stronger local action rather than “press releases” and “mindless cheerleading”. He shows that most emission cuts in US cities can be attributed to state and federal initiatives such as renewable portfolio standards or national fuel-efficiency rules. 
<a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/images/2017/09/26/Screen%20Shot%202017-09-26%20at%2011.13.49%20AM.png" target="_blank">Click to enlarge</a>
<img src="https://www.urban.com.au/images/2017/09/26/Screen%20Shot%202017-09-26%20at%2011.13.49%20AM.png" alt="">
America’s narrative of climate-friendly cities relies heavily on California’s leadership to make it credible.
By May 2015, California had built the Under2 Coalition of cities, states and countries committed to keeping the global temperature increase below 2°C. California Governor Jerry Brown was prepared for the June 1 White House announcement, quickly detailing why it was “insane”. Days later Brown signed a deal between China and his state to collaborate on cutting emissions. 
California’s activism sets a benchmark. But Brooks details how New York, Boston, Washington DC and other “frequently lauded cities” often do not use the powers they have. 
No US city reports its electricity consumption more than annually. Many do not report it at all. Poor monitoring is a key reason they have not cut consumption, in spite of enormous scope for efficiency. 
Cities have not added much to national trends
It isn’t just American cities falling short, as Benjamin Barber’s new book, Cool Cities makes clear. 
Like Brooks, Barber championed urban action against global warming (he died in April 2017). Yet he looked past the hype to point out shortcomings in the mitigation measures of such exemplary cities as London and Oslo.
London’s stated goal is to cut emissions by 60% by 2040. It seems likely to fail, with blame falling on rapid population growth and inadequate policies in the building sector. 
Oslo is committed to a 100% cut in emissions by 2050. But its emissions have risen from 1.2 million tonnes in 1991 to 1.4 million tonnes in 2014. One complication is that oil and gas production comprise 22% of the Norwegian economy. The nation’s emissions are up 4.2% since 1990.
Even the progress of climate superstar cities such as Copenhagen, Stockholm and Berlin is, on close examination, subject to important caveats.
Copenhagen makes much of having cut emissions 21% by 2011 from 2005 levels. Yet the city admits that 63% of its goal of becoming carbon-neutral relies on buying carbon offsets for its emissions. 
National policy is a crucial context for urban action. For instance, Copenhagen has benefited greatly from a 27% fall in Denmark’s emissions between 1990 and 2015. Unfortunately, Danish emissions are expected to increase after 2020 without new policies.
Stockholm has cut emissions by around 37% between 1990 and 2015. This is mainly a result of changes to building heating – transport emissions have barely changed. 
As in Copenhagen, Stockholm’s achievements rely greatly on a national target – net-zero emissions by 2045 – backed by a robust policy framework.
As for Berlin, its goal is an 85% cut in emissions by 2050, compared to 1990. By 2013 the city had cut emissions by about one-third. Yet most recent data indicate that emissions have begun to rise slightly. Berlin is at risk of achieving only half of its mid-term goal of a 40% cut by 2020. 
Berlin is not responsible for a national policy that remains lax on coal and unduly favours automobiles, the source of 18% of German emissions. But civic leaders in Berlin could do more to nudge a car-centred culture towards sustainability.
What must cities do?
The urgency of real action is clear from the IEA’s 2016 report on sustainable urban energy systems. It warns that business as usual in cities could mean emissions increase by 50% by 2050. 
The IEA notes that 90% of the growth in primary energy demand is in non-OECD countries. At the same time, climate science tells us deep emissions cuts must begin by 2020. We have to accelerate decarbonisation, which means demanding greater ambition and transparency from cities. The following steps need to be taken:
Every city should have accurate, timely and transparent data on their performance across a range of indicators. These include emissions, electricity consumption, energy efficiency and renewable energy availability.
We need more robust comparative frameworks to make sense of the data. The 2014 Global Protocol for Community-Scale Greenhouse Gas Emission Inventories was a valuable start, but has to be expanded.
Cities should be more global when calculating their emissions. At present, they tally up emissions from their own territory and production, leaving out emissions from consumption of traded goods and (often) aviation. The differences can be significant. Were Copenhagen’s emissions measured on a consumption basis, the total would be four to five times higher.
Cities need to differentiate between emission cuts resulting directly from their own actions and those derived from state or national programs. We need to see what cities themselves are doing.
Cities too often advocate climate neutrality rather than zero emissions. The more a city relies on credits for offsets elsewhere, the greater the risk of failing to cut actual emissions within the city. 
There should be less cheerleading all around. City mayors need to lobby their state and federal counterparts to ensure co-ordinated action at all levels. And citizens must throw out mayors - not to mention regional and national leaders - who don’t accept the urgency of climate mitigation.
Sadly, many cities are dangerously complacent about the need for speed in decarbonisation. No press release can obscure the fact that time is not on our side.
<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/brendan-f-d-barrett-179124" target="_blank">Brendan F.D. Barrett</a> is Senior Lecturer, Program Manager, Masters of International Urban and Environmental Management, RMIT University.
<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/andrew-dewit-112433" target="_blank">Andrew DeWit</a> is Professor, School of Policy Studies, Rikkyo University.
Both are authors for <a href="https://theconversation.com/au" target="_blank">The Conversation</a>.
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