Rapid decarbonisation and increased resilience in the face of climate change

Visions and Pathways 2040 (VP2040) is a research and engagement program which develops visions and innovation and policy pathways for transforming Australian cities to achieve rapid decarbonisation and increased resilience in the face of climate change.

The program involves three universities (University of Melbourne, University of NSW and Swinburne) and nine government and industry partners. VP2040 is funded as a four-year project by the Australian Cooperative Research Centre for Low Carbon Living (CRC LCL).

VP2040 seeks to envision possibilities for the physical form and urban lifestyles of Australian cities in 2040, on the assumption that they achieve at least an 80% reduction target in greenhouse gas emissions and have addressed vulnerabilities that arise with changes in climate and extreme weather events. Since this program commenced (and particularly following the Paris COP 21 in late 2015), the issue of appropriate Australian CO2 targets has become a significant area for policy debate, with past ‘aspirational’ commitments looking increasingly at odds with international thinking. This program’s target of an 80% reduction was set in 2014 after a review of targets set by other cities in OECD countries. The decision was to set a challenging target which was comparable with the upper-end of greenhouse gas emission reduction targets announced by some cities around the world (C40 Cities 2014).

Read – “Results from the second year of Visions and Pathways 2040: Scenarios of Low Carbon Living.”