A new report on the current state of Australia’s biodiesel industry is now available from ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability – Oceania (ICLEI Oceania).
Biodiesel is a renewable fuel whose primary feedstocks, such as used cooking oil, tallow and vegetable oils, can be grown and/or sourced locally for use in short turnaround times. Unlike fossil based fuel, biodiesel is also part of a closed carbon loop. This means carbon emissions from biodiesel are, theoretically, no more than what was extracted from the atmosphere by the feedstock plants during their growth.
‘Biodiesel in Australia: Benefits, Issues and Opportunities for Local Government Uptake’ provides a comprehensive overview of biodiesel possibilities for Local Governments in Australia. The 100 page report comprises contributions from 50 Local Governments across five States and over 20 industry stakeholders.
ICLEI believes it is a valuable resource for Council officers, managers, CEOs and Councillors wanting to investigate biodiesel uptake further and ensure that their fuel choices have the desired environmental, economic and social outcomes.
According to the report, in Australia, Local Government leads the way with biodiesel uptake. Biodiesel is now used by over 20 Councils, with at least five operating their entire depot fleet on biodiesel blends. These Councils have reported overwhelmingly positive outcomes from using biodiesel, and have indicated that biodiesel will continue to play a major role in their future fuel usage.
The Biodiesel Research Project was funded by the Victorian State Government through the Department of Sustainability and Environment and was compiled by ICLEI Oceania.
For ten years, ICLEI Oceania has been building the capacity of Australian Local Governments to reduce their greenhouse impact through the Cities for Climate Protection (CCP) Australia Program. The CCP Australia Program is delivered through a partnership between ICLEI Oceania and the Australian Greenhouse Office. Across Australia, 227 CCP Councils have reduced their carbon emissions by nearly nine million tonnes since the beginning of the Australian program in 1997.
For further information visit www.iclei.org.
To download the Biodiesel Research Project report visit www.iclei.org/index.php?id=7076 or contact ICLEI’s Sustainable Transport Project Manager, Paula Arcari, on (03) 9660 2280.
