The City of Sydney will lead an international network of global cities
to guide strategic direction on energy efficiency solutions. The City is a
founding member of C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group, a network of 69 global
cities taking action on climate change.
The City’s proven credentials on climate change action have now taken it
to a leadership role in the group – for the next 12 months, the City will
co-chair the C40 Private Sector Buildings Energy Efficiency Network with the
Tokyo Metropolitan Government, working with the Tokyo Government to guide the
network’s strategic direction, establish an annual work plan and collaborate
with other cities to put the plan into action.
Lord Mayor Clover Moore explains that cities generate over 70 per cent
of the world’s carbon pollution and are home to more than half the world’s
population, making them the best place to act on climate change. Collaboration
is therefore necessary between cities to share information on success stories
and drive significant action on climate change.
The City of Sydney will be working with cities from Europe, North
America, Latin America, Oceania and East Asia.
C40 Chair and Rio de Janeiro Mayor, Eduardo Paes said cities go farther
and faster when they collaborate and share ideas. Commending the City of Sydney
for taking a leadership role in the C40 private sector network to build energy efficiency,
Mayor Paes said Sydney has made valuable contributions to the network to date.
Lord Mayor Clover Moore said the new C40 leadership role would allow the
City to work with, and learn from, world-class expertise that will benefit
Sydney landlords and tenants involved in the City’s energy efficiency programs.
Through the C40 network, Sydney’s property owners and tenants will be
able to take on global targets, inspiration and information from around the
world, further improving energy efficiency in Sydney’s buildings and slashing
carbon emissions in the heart of the city.
Part of the City’s Sustainable Sydney 2030 program is a community-driven
mission to address climate change. The City is also Australia’s first
carbon-neutral government with ambitious targets to reduce emissions by 70 per
cent by 2030 on 2006 levels.
The City has partnered with many Australian businesses and communities
to reduce emissions while making significant savings to their bottom line
through a series of programs including Smart Green Business, City Switch,
Better Buildings Partnership and Smart Green Apartments.
Work is also in progress on a comprehensive energy efficiency master
plan that will be released later this year.