As Australia grapples with the escalating impacts of climate change, addressing the path to a sustainable future has never been more critical.

While efforts continue to grow renewable energy capacity to achieve Australia’s climate ambitions, it’s only half the battle. The other half is how we plan and manage community infrastructure and improve its resilience while protecting the natural environment.

With infrastructure like buildings and roads accounting for around 70% of the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions, councils must take decisive action to decarbonise operations, embrace sustainable practices and rethink how to manage the growing demand for new energy.

Common roadblocks

While many councils are already taking action to decarbonise, green up spaces and encourage low-carbon behaviours, the road to sustainable infrastructure comes with a unique set of challenges.

The lowest carbon asset is the one you don’t build. Therefore, it is critical that councils focus on increased utilisation and enhanced resilience of existing community infrastructure. This has the potential to significantly reduce the need for new assets, minimising carbon impact and reducing costs.

Councils must also decide on how best to manage ageing buildings, which account for around 25% of Australia’s emissions. Those constructed between 1960 and 2002 generally operate well below their potential, with outdated or inefficient technologies to support energy management. Adoption of efficient energy strategies, technology and monitoring can greatly enhance building performance and will often have a short payback period.

And as the crucial foundation to sustainable community infrastructure, it is imperative that councils address any lack of visibility and quality of asset data. A surprising number of councils still rely on outdated methods, siloed systems and incomplete data. Without a full holistic view of their infrastructure, it’s difficult for councils to know their carbon footprint and prioritise where and when to invest their limited time and money.

10 ways to address infrastructure sustainability

Diverse strategies are needed to meet our sustainable infrastructure goals, the top 10 of which include:

1. Decarbonising assets through green construction and maintenance methods, energy-efficient operations and low-carbon materials
2. Extending asset lifecycles to significantly reduce the need for new construction
3. Reducing infrastructure waste and costs by extending an asset’s lifespan, maximising utilisation and reusing materials
4. Improving asset resilience by making infrastructure more robust against climate impacts
5. Reducing transport carbon emissions, the largest percentage of a council’s carbon footprint
6. Creating digital twins for scenario analysis and optimised investment decisions
7. Digitising asset operations with intelligent analytics, IoT, automation and AI
8. Electrifying operations by transitioning to renewable energy-powered electric systems
9. Maintaining natural environments including parks, trees, and water bodies
10. Conserving water as part of building climate change resilience

The role of strategic asset management

Creating and delivering on an effective sustainability strategy doesn’t require councils to make massive operational and structural changes. Councils can significantly lower their carbon footprint and reduce climate change risk by better understanding the performance, utilisation and resilience of their assets, and using predictive scenario analysis to optimise their investments long term.

This is the critical role that strategic asset management (SAM) plays in answering the United Nations’ call to build a greener, more sustainable future by 2030.

By enabling councils to see the future now, it’s an approach that clearly identifies current and future performance of infrastructure under various possible strategies, service levels and investment scenarios. Providing a clear, evidence-based and science-backed roadmap for asset operations, maintenance and investment that directly supports the critical sustainability actions outlined above.

The good news is by embedding sustainable practices through SAM, councils can not only reduce their environmental impacts, but also improve asset performance and save on costs in the process. In addition to addressing the genuine existential threat that climate change poses, it is also great for the bottom line.

The path to sustainability is challenging, but with SAM planning and commitment, councils can make powerful progress toward safer, happier and more resilient communities.

For more information, visit brightlysoftware.com/sustainability

By David Horseman, Director, Professional Services, Brightly