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2016 Jan Feb Marina World

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The magazine for the marina industry

ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT

ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT What does it mean for the industry? The rate of change in sea level is slow and I suspect will be ‘absorbed’ into development and redevelopment programmes over the coming decades, much like the increases have to date. Increased extreme weather events will ultimately have impacts on building standards for marinas and vessels alike, as well as boater behaviour and insurance premiums. These represent challenges for industry but, as they are progressive, the industry should be able to iterate its way through them. In other words, it is my view that we will be able to adapt to these two implications because they are gradual and we don’t have any choice. The global political and social implications of climate change are another issue altogether and beyond consideration here. The biggest challenge in my view is broad ranging government policy that imposes dramatic carbon reduction requirements on businesses and individuals alike to seek to arrest more dramatic change. This could have far more significant and immediate implications for the industry than climate change itself as we are heavily reliant on energy in the form of electricity and fuel, both of which are predominantly fossil carbon based. (Think dramatic increases in the cost of electricity and levies on fossil fuels for recreational use for example). The concept of embodied energy and embodied carbon is also influencing government policy (i.e. the energy and carbon that goes into making things as against just using them). This is likely to have implications for marina and boat manufacturers alike in coming years. It is not a question of if, but when. What can we do? Simply, as an industry, we need to take the initiative to develop and implement programmes that demonstrate leadership proactively so that government does not impose upon us heavy handed regulatory compliance. Industry has certainly shown this leadership in the areas of work, health and safety, and protection of the environment with great success and collaboration with government. It is now incumbent on us to develop commensurate programmes to demonstrate systemic and meaningful lifecycle carbon reduced strategies (i.e. meaningful reductions in both embodied and operating energy from fossil carbon sources) – not dissimilar to those achieved in the automotive and building sectors, for example. We need programmes and innovations which engage all stakeholders in capital and operating behavioural change, and which build a business case for financial and environmental sustainability. Our future depends on it. Darren Vaux is chairman of the Boating Industries Alliance Australia, vice president of the Marina Industries Association, Australia, director of the award winning Empire Marina Bobbin Head and director of the Footprint Company, developer of industry leading environmental footprinting technologies. The above article is based on a paper he jointly presented with Dr Caroline Noller at Marine15 in Australia, May 2015. He can be contacted on email: darren@empiremarinas.com.au 54 www.marinaworld.com - January/February 2016 MW2016JanFeb.indd 54 05/01/2016 09:36:26

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