ISC Climate Action Position
Manaaki whenua, Manaaki tangata, Haere whakamua
Care for the land, care for the people, go forward
Our Role
The Infrastructure Sustainability Council is Australia and New Zealand’s authority on sustainable infrastructure. Our purpose is to ensure all infrastructure delivers cultural, social, environmental and economic benefits. We are a significant contributor by leading, coordinating and reinforcing accelerated climate action in infrastructure.
Our Perspective
Climate action is more than decarbonisation.
Infrastructure assets being planned, delivered, and managed today will last many decades. These assets and networks must deliver environmental, social, economic, and cultural benefits that are intergenerational; for those here today and the many more to come.
Climate action involves a duty to communities, the workforce, the environment, and the economy. Climate action:
- accelerates systemic decarbonisation
- increases resilience and adaptive capacity
- creates economic opportunity through circular economy, innovation and research
- delivers long-term value and impact reinforcing sustainable finance and investment
- prepares and partners with the infrastructure workforces for a just transition; and
- protects and regenerate natural ecosystems and landscapes
Our Commitment
The Council will play a leading role in helping build an enabling ecosystem to deliver net zero by 2050. With industry-led accelerated action to keep climate warming within 1.5 degrees, together we will start to focus on delivering climate positivity. We will work with our member base of leaders, to advocate and accelerate policy, planning, procurement, and positive practice to scale climate action for all. This means setting a trajectory to reach at least 50% reduction in real emissions by 2030[1], with an ability to enable the achievement of net-positive places early into the next decade.
The Infrastructure Sustainability Council will accelerate climate action by:
- Driving data-driven sustainability performance and continuous improvement through the Infrastructure Sustainability Rating Scheme
- Strengthening our thriving industry by building capability and enabling collaboration
- Achieving market transformation by supporting organisational change and advocating for systemic change
[1] Based off 2005 levels
Our Plan
Leadership is critical in achieving net zero. The Council’s members are the most engaged and progressive, and represent all representative of the most progressive parts organisations in our complex sector. The infrastructure sector is diverse with varying levels of awareness and commitment to climate action. The Council’s inclusive approach to catalysing impactful change across industry planning, policy, procurement, and practice will be to:
Reporting & Review
The Council will track and publish progress annually in our Impacts Report.
Toitū te marae a Tāne-Mahuta, toitū te marae a Tangaroa, toitū te tangata
If land is well and the sea is well, the people will thrive.