Master Plan 2009 - Sydney Airport

efficiency advances that will reduce aviation’s
contribution to climate change.
Sydney Airport is committed to working with all
relevant organisations across the aviation industry
to target carbon-neutral growth as a step towards a
carbon-free future for aviation. As noted in Section
14.2, Sydney Airport has implemented a range of
environmental initiatives aimed at improving the
Airport’s environmental performance and reducing
the Airport’s carbon footprint. Sydney Airport will
continue to work with major airlines to implement
the following four key strategies outlined in the
Global Aviation Industry Commitment:
• encourage the development and implementation
of new technologies, including cleaner fuels;
• further optimise the fuel efficiency of fleets and
the way aircraft are flown and manage ground
operations;
• improve air routes, air traffic management and
airport infrastructure; and
• implement positive economic instruments to
achieve greenhouse gas reductions wherever
they are cost-effective.
Managing climate change is a key challenge, not
just for Sydney Airport but for all major airports.
Technological innovation will drive environmental
improvements at Sydney Airport. The same can
be said for airlines in that the global fleet of
commercial aircraft is undergoing a significant
technological transformation. As a result, jet aircraft
are now significantly quieter, cleaner and more
fuel efficient than ever before. Being larger, the
new generation of aircraft also means that more
passengers can be transported per flight with less
impact on the environment.
Sustainable Development
Sydney Airport’s Sustainable Development
Policy establishes the principles for sustainable
development of the Airport from which objectives,
targets and action programs can then be developed.
The principles will ensure that all new development
proposals in relation to Sydney Airport are planned
and operated in accordance with current best
practice technologies and guidelines for efficient
resource use. This will include using the most
appropriate sustainability rating tool for driving the
development of sustainable buildings at Sydney
Airport.
Carbon Neutrality
Sydney Airport has developed a Carbon Neutral
strategy which aims to reduce the Airport’s
carbon footprint. The first step of this strategy – a
comprehensive emissions inventory and carbon
142
footprint of the Airport – has been completed for
Sydney Airport’s business operations (excludes
emissions from any airline or other third party) in
accordance with the World Resources Institute’s
Greenhouse Gas Protocol (2005) and ISO 14064.
As shown in Table 14.5, Sydney Airport’s carbon
footprint for 2007 was measured by Climate
Friendly Pty Ltd to be 96,601 tonnes of carbon
dioxide (CO2) equivalent with 2007 monitoring
figures used to equate the year’s total equivalent
tonnes of CO2 emissions. Major emitters are
electricity, natural gas, other fuels, air travel
and LPG. (Note: airline ground operations were
not included as a major emission source in this
calculation).
Table 14.5 Greenhouse gas emissions by source
for SACL operations, 2007
Emission
source
Electricity 90,961
Natural gas 4,599
Other fuels 780
Staff Air travel 260
LPG 1
Total 96,601
Source: Climate Friendly Pty Ltd
Equivalent tonnes
of CO2 emissions
Table 14.6 shows the total 2007 activity data
(using relevant units) for each identified greenhouse
gas emission source. Future comparisons and
projections should take into account the activity
data in relation to the total equivalent tonnes of
CO2 emissions of Table 14.4. The 2007 emissions
inventory and carbon footprint will be used for
future monitoring comparisons and as a baseline
for emissions projections for Sydney Airport’s
operations.
Table 14.6 Energy consumption for SACL
operations, 2007
Emission
source
Activity
data
Electricity 85,090 MWh
Natural gas 64,595 GJ
Other fuels 266,211 litres
Staff Air travel 857,616 km
Source: SACL Monitoring Data
unit