The City of Canada Bay has joined other cities and local governments from around the world in the Cities Race to Zero program.
“In 2019 Council declared a climate emergency and developed an Environmental Strategy and Emissions Reduction Action Plan. We are proud to now be joining the Cities Race to Zero,” said City of Canada Bay Mayor Angelo Tsirekas.
“By joining this program ahead of the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) on 31 October-12 November 2021, we send the message that we are united with other cities and regions, businesses, higher education institutions, and investors in supporting a healthier, more resilient, zero emissions future.”
Council is doing its part to reduce emissions through our commitment to net zero operational emissions by 2030. So far we have installed over 250kW of solar on our facilities, started to transition our fleet to hybrid/electric, reduced electricity consumption by 20 per cent (from 2017-18), and buy 20 per cent of our electricity from renewable sources. From July 2022, we will buy 100 per cent renewable electricity.
We are also supporting our community to reduce their emissions through the Solar My School program, which will see an additional 155kW of solar installed on school rooftops, assisted by 42 additional solar PV installations on local homes through the Our Energy Future program and the continuation of our apartment energy efficiency program.
As part of the Cities Race to Zero program, the City of Canada Bay commits to the following five actions, which are already well underway in our existing policies, plans, strategies and operations:
- We publicly endorse the Cities Race to Zero principles and recognise the global climate emergency, the need to keep global heating below the 1.5°C (in line with the Paris Agreement), the benefit of putting inclusive climate action at the centre of urban decision-making to create thriving and equitable communities, and the importance of inviting our leaders to join us in recognising the global climate emergency and help us deliver on science-based action to overcome it.
- We pledge to reach net zero by mid-century at the latest, in line with global efforts to limit warming to 1.5°C.
- Our Emissions Reduction Action Plan explains the steps we are taking toward achieving net zero in our own operations by 2030 and in our community by 2050. Our plan includes interim targets for our fair share of the 50 per cent global reduction in carbon dioxide by 2030 identified in the IPCC Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5°C.
- Our Emissions Reduction Action Plan and Resource Recovery and Waste Strategy have inclusive and equitable climate action by 2022 and help to place the City on a resilient pathway.
- We will report progress annually, beginning no later than 2022. City of Canada Bay will use the CDP-ICLEI Unified Reporting System to report progress annually to the Cities Race to Zero.
For more information about what the City of Canada Bay is doing in the race to net zero emissions, visit our website.
