Local councils and authorities and climate change

While councils and authorities plan to adapt to the impacts of climate change, they also play an important role in helping to limit climate change. This involves reducing greenhouse gas emissions and supporting environmentally sustainable regions. The combination of these approaches is the best way to ensure that NSW will be a prosperous, healthy, and sustainable state into the future.

By reducing emissions across their assets, practices and communities, local councils and authorities can:

• reduce operational costs by reducing their energy consumption
• attract private sector investment in their region
• help to limit climate change and reduce the impacts of climate change in their region
• help to provide cleaner air and healthier environments for residents across their region, NSW, and Australia
• respond to community expectations around climate change and adaptation, both locally and nationally
• join a growing network of climate leaders from across NSW.

How local councils and authorities can reduce their emissions

The NSW Government’s Net Zero Plan Stage 1: 2020–2030 outlines the NSW Government’s plan to take action on climate change to reach net zero emissions by 2050. Local councils and authorities are a key partner to achieve these goals. Many councils across NSW are already taking action to set emissions targets and strategies to reduce their emissions. Every council can take actions to reduce emissions in their region.

Local councils and authorities can reduce emissions by:

• offsetting emissions by increasing green cover and carbon absorption in their region by using green infrastructure principles when developing and upgrading infrastructure, buildings and suburbs
• developing a comprehensive plan to reduce energy use and emissions across council’s assets and operations, for example through efficiency measures for council-owned buildings
• transitioning to renewable energy sources for council-owned buildings, infrastructure and services
• setting emissions reductions targets, and milestones to get there
• choosing sustainable procurement options
• developing alternative transport initiatives, such as transitioning public transport vehicles to electric energy, replacing council-owned vehicles with electric vehicles, and supporting non-powered transport such as bicycles
• developing waste reduction initiatives for council operations and communities
• partnering with community groups and supporting community initiatives to reduce emissions
• using green infrastructure principles for new developments or to upgrade existing infrastructure.

Across their communities, local councils and authorities can reduce emissions by:

• educating communities on the causes and impacts of climate change, and what they can do reduce their community, household and individual emissions
• supporting communities to adopt sustainable alternatives, through incentives or funding.