City of Sydney
Is a Power Partner
Net zero
50%
renewable energy by 2030
“With cities responsible for 70 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide, it is critical that we play a leading role in taking effective and evidence-based climate action, which is why we’ve been a proud member of the Cities Power Partnership since 2017. The City of Sydney was Australia’s first certified carbon neutral council in 2011 and we will reach our 2030 target of reducing emissions by 70 per cent by 2024 – six years early! In June 2019 we joined a growing cohort of local governments to declare a Climate Emergency. And from July 2020, our operations are being powered by 100% renewable electricity, supporting regional jobs in wind and solar farms in Glen Innes, Wagga Wagga and the Shoalhaven.”
Council has chosen the following pledges
Use council resources to support the uptake of renewable energy.
Install renewable energy (solar PV and battery storage) on council buildings.
Power council operations by renewable energy, and set targets to increase the level of renewable power for council operations over time.
Roll out energy efficient lighting (particularly street lighting) across the municipality.
Ensure Council fleet purchases meet strict greenhouse gas emissions requirements and support the uptake of electric vehicles.
City of Sydney
The City of Sydney has targets for its local government area (LGA) to be net zero emissions by 2050 and for 50 per cent of electricity to be renewable by 2030 (and for our own operations by 2021).
We have an active and engaged community, and since 2006 total emissions across the LGA have fallen by more than 17 per cent. During this time the local economy grew by 32 per cent, and there are 25 per cent more people living in the city, 19 per cent more workers, 18 per cent more homes and 10 per cent more floor space.
This shows that decoupling carbon emissions from growth is happening, and the new economy can be a prosperous one. Sydney is not alone; this is a common story for many cities around the planet.
The City is a long-standing member of the C40 Climate Leadership group and the Carbon Neutral Cities Alliance. By joining the Cities Power Partnership we hope to be able to share some of the outcomes from these international networks.
Details on their sustainability and energy successes, plans and pledges are coming soon. In the meantime you can check out their work on the City’s Carbon Reduction web page.