Following are edited highlights of the speech by City of Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore at the Sustainability Leadership Event at the Art Gallery of NSW new building Sydney Modern now renamed Naala Badu [nar-la bar-do].
In the City of Sydney the partnerships [CitySwitch, Better Buildings Partnership, Sustainable Destination Partnership and Smart Green Apartments] make up 99 commercial office buildings capturing 55 per cent of office space; 73 buildings across our accommodation and entertainment sector with 53 per cent of hotel rooms, and 279 apartment buildings.
That’s a significant part of our city and our economy.
Partnerships are working
Collectively, the Better Buildings Partnership has already achieved a 95 per cent reduction in emissions intensity and 63 per cent reduction in water intensity from a 2006 baseline.
And I’m pleased to announce that City of Melbourne has joined this partnership.
Members of the Sustainable Destination Partnership had a 24 per cent reduction in emissions and water intensity from a 2018 baseline.
In the City of Sydney, CitySwitch encompasses office tenants making up one-third of all office space, and 47 per cent are using renewable energy. CitySwitch is so successful that other councils are joining to increase its reach and support businesses in their areas to move toward net zero emission. We are particularly pleased the federal government will also be partnering with the CitySwitch program so its reach will continue across Australia.
Smart Green Apartments has delivered more than $9 million in savings to Owners Corporations who are investing in efficiency improvements and renewables in apartment buildings.
And the City’s Environmental Grants are driving building upgrades and innovative sustainability solutions across our city.
Governments should work with us
Because we are getting such good results in Sydney, over the past year the City, together with other Capital City Councils, has advocated to both the state and federal governments for funding to extend the partnership model to other Australian cities.
I look forward to building closer partnerships with both the state and federal governments to increase the impact and scale of our work. Councils are essential for connecting with communities and delivering place-based actions across the country – work that must be urgently accelerated.
Cities generate 75 per cent of emissions
In March the World Meteorological Organisation’s State of the Global Climate reported that globally in 2023 we broke every single climate indicator – it was the hottest year on record for our air and ocean temperatures, sea level rises also reached record highs while Antarctic sea ice hit record lows. This caused chaos for millions of people around the world and inflicted billions of dollars in economic losses.
Cities generate about 75 per cent of emissions, and for the first time in history, more than half the world’s population live in cities, so if we reduce emissions from major emitters in our cities, we can significantly reduce emissions worldwide.
Tackling biggest emitters
At the City, we have focussed on the biggest emitters.
In central Sydney, commercial office space, accommodation and entertainment properties, and apartment buildings generate 76 per cent of emissions. That’s why our partnerships with you are so important.
And last year we introduced building standards to improve the energy efficiency of new office buildings, hotels and retail developments, and achieve net zero from 2026. Already, developers are submitting proposals with net zero emissions – this is two years ahead of time.
Analysis has demonstrated that between 2023 and 2050 these building standards will save investors, businesses and occupants over $1.3 billion from energy bills; they will save the public $1.8 billion in avoided power generation and avoided infrastructure; and save $35 billion from avoided health costs because our air quality will be better.
Transport
Transport is the second highest and fastest growing source of CO2, pre-COVID generating about 20 per cent of emissions. The City’s commitment to light rail, cycleways and creating a city for walking reduces emissions, provides clean and efficient alternatives to driving, and improves productivity, the economy, and peoples’ health.
Last month the City was honoured with a win at the Australian Urban Design Awards for the $300 million George Street public domain project. The George Street boulevard and the success of the light rail have transformed central Sydney into a city that prioritises people over cars. This has reduced emissions and provided economic benefits of $8 billion.
Cycleways
Cycling is a net zero emission transport choice.
Since 2009 we have delivered a bike network with 25 kilometres of safe, separated cycleways, 66 kilometres of shared paths and 45 kilometres of other cycling infrastructure so now more than 10,000 people safely ride to work in the city centre – the equivalent of 10 full trains or 166 full buses.
72 per cent of Sydneysiders support separated cycleways, and most want Sydney’s bike network built faster.
Street lights
Street lighting is the largest source of electricity use for councils. At the City nearly 40 per cent of electricity is for street lighting which, in the past, has contributed to about 9 per cent of the City’s carbon emissions.
In 2015, we became the first council in Australia to convert street lights to energy efficient LEDs and we have now completed the program with 17,000 new street lights. This is our biggest carbon reduction project and saves the City and Ausgrid almost $2 million a year.
But more than that, through our Southern Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils, we made it possible for 29 other councils to convert their old streetlights to energy efficient LED lights across Greater Sydney.
This has converted 75 per cent – or more than 210,000 – street lights across Greater Sydney and will result in 69 per cent of energy savings by 2026 compared with the peak of 2008, and recurrent cost savings of at least $94 million a year.
This year the Institute of Public Works Engineering Australasia awarded the Engineering Excellence Award for this Environmental Enhancement Project.
Renewable energy
The power of partnerships has also been demonstrated by the City galvanising other Greater Sydney councils to collectively purchase renewable electricity.
We all know that when we buy in bulk, prices drop. Now, 25 councils are powered by renewable energy which is reducing annual emissions by more than 193,000 tonnes – the equivalent of taking 43,000 cars of the road every year.
This is the most significant annual emissions reduction by a local government group in NSW.
Through our innovation grants we are supporting the Business Renewables Centre to enable businesses across Sydney to opt-in and be powered by renewable energy by joining a buyers group – you will hear more about that this evening.
Energy efficiency is the first fuel
Energy efficiency is the first fuel in green transitions. It provides the quickest and least expensive option in reducing emissions. Creating efficiencies is what all our partnerships are all about. They are making our homes, our offices and our City more efficient, and they must be achieved before we make other, more expensive transitions.
Thank you for being early adopters. Whether you are in it to save money or to save the planet, we are all part of a movement that is transforming Sydney into the greenest part of the country.