Canberra
Is a Power Partner
100%
Renewable energy by 2020
Net zero
emissions by 2050
While there are significant environmental benefits from taking action on climate change, the ACT is also committed to diversifying our local economy by investing in the energy technologies of the future. Canberra has learned significant lessons by leading the way on climate action and we are keen to share those lessons through the Cities Power Partnership
Council has chosen the following pledges
Develop supportive planning laws to encourage residents and industry to adopt renewable energy.
Set minimum renewable energy benchmarks for new developments
Adopt best practice energy efficiency measures across all council buildings, and support community facilities to adopt these measures
Ensure fleet purchases meet strict greenhouse gas emissions requirements and support the uptake of electric vehicles
Set city-level renewable energy or emissions reduction targets.
Canberra
Canberra has been a leading city with ambitious commitments to source 100% of our electricity from renewable sources by 2020, and achieve zero net emissions by 2050 at the latest. The ACT’s Energy Efficiency Improvement Scheme has also delivered over one million energy saving devices to over 70,000 Canberra homes, reducing energy consumption and household electricity bills.
Canberra is making steady progress towards achieving our goal of 100% renewable electricity by 2020 and we are currently progressing development of our blueprint to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 at the latest—a goal that will only be achievable through strong community engagement and commitment from all sectors. Our next steps include tackling emissions from our transport and waste sectors. We are keen to learn from the other cities participating in the Cities Power Partnership on how their efforts to reduce emissions can be applied in Canberra.
Canberra has learned many valuable lessons through the actions that it has already taken, such as our reverse auction process for sourcing renewable electricity, and there is an exciting opportunity to share these lessons with other cities across Australia. I strongly believe that cities can play a crucial role in driving action on climate change and making our homes, businesses and wider community more sustainable.