Australia’s two largest urban areas are among 10 new cities added to the UN initiative launched by Michael Bloomberg, former mayor of New York, in 2014

This article is more than 5 years old

This article is more than 5 years old

Melbourne and Sydney have joined an international coalition of cities that have committed to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and advocate for action on climate change.



Byron Bay first regional Australian city to commit to zero emissions Read more

Australia’s two largest urban areas are among 10 new cities added to the Compact of Mayors – a UN-backed initiative launched last year by Michael Bloomberg, the former mayor of New York.

A total of 165 cities, representing 234m people, have signed up to the compact so far, including New York, London, Berlin, Jakarta and Rio de Janeiro. The US president, Barack Obama, has set a goal of 100 American cities to sign up to the compact before global climate talks in Paris later this year.

Melbourne is in a race with Adelaide to become the world’s first zero net emissions city, with a target to reach this by 2020. The city has retrofitted more than 540 commercial buildings to become more sustainable in their use of resources over the past five years.

Sydney has a goal to slash emissions by 70% by 2030 based on 2006 levels. It also aims to improve the energy efficiency of its buildings by 31% by 2030.

Melbourne councils have a plan to buy renewable energy directly from solar and wind suppliers, while Sydney has a host of measures in place such as changing lighting to LEDs, and is installing solar panels on a range of public buildings.

The Compact of Mayors requires that participant cities have ambitious plans to cut their own emissions, while also acting as advocates for climate action. It is estimated that the world’s cities produce about 75% of the world’s emissions and consume a majority of the planet’s natural resources.

“In Australia, two-thirds of us live in cities – and by 2056, they will house another 10m people,” said Clover Moore, lord mayor of Sydney.

“We’re already delivering significant action on climate change and slashing carbon emissions in the heart of the nation’s largest city. Our commitment to this compact with city leaders from around the world reinforces our commitment to the Sydney community to take action on climate change.”

Robert Doyle, Melbourne’s lord mayor, added: “You can’t be the world’s most liveable city without careful attention to two elements – the prosperity and sustainability of the city.

Pope Francis calls for urgent action on climate change in White House speech Read more

“With the landmark climate conference in Paris approaching, the actions taken by cities at a local level will have a global impact.”

Bloomberg said that participant cities were making a “major contribution” in the global effort to ensure that the planet didn’t warm 2C beyond pre-industrial levels.

“They are also showing their national governments that more ambitious goals are both possible and achievable,” he said. “And – perhaps most importantly of all – they are proving that fighting climate change and increasing economic growth go hand in hand.”