Climate Emergency
Climate Emergency and the pathway to Net Zero Emissions
The City of Ryde passed a resolution on the 28 May 2019 acknowledging that we are in a state of climate emergency that requires urgent action by all levels of government; that human induced climate change represents one of the greatest threats to humanity, civilisation and other species; and that it is still possible to prevent the most catastrophic outcomes if societies, including local councils, take emergency action.
In response to the climate emergency, and our commitment to reducing emissions, climate change impacts the City of Ryde has developed and adopted, a Net Zero Emissions Pathway to plan for a sustainable future. The plan recognises the steps Council has already undertaken to reduce emissions and outlines a strategy for achieving Net Zero emissions for both Council’s operations and the community.
What has Council done already?
Some of the steps which Council has already undertaken to move towards Net Zero Emissions for the Community include:
Sustainable transport infrastructure including bike paths, pedestrian paths and bus shelters
Street tree planting and bush regeneration programs
Green waste collection service and subsidised worm farms and compost bins
Community education programs providing advice on how to lower your carbon footprint
Public electric vehicle charging infrastructure installed at 3 town centres
Home Waste and Sustainability Advisory Service
Sustainable planning controls such as Energy Smart Water Wise DCP
Our Common Ground sustainable food gardening for residents who live in apartments
Some of the steps which Council has already undertaken to move towards Net Zero Emissions for its own operations include:
100% Renewable Energy Target by 2030 for electricity used in Council property and assets
Two 100% electric vehicles and charging stations introduced to Council's fleet
Adopted Sydney wide joint tender to prioritise recycled materials in civil works
Solar water and heat pump hot water systems installed at various parks and community facilities
Roll-out of LED streetlights in residential roads and LED sports lights at several parks
Solar systems installed across 5 community buildings
Corporate Resource Efficiency targets for new building fit-outs, equipment and appliances
Commenced implementation of Ryde Resilience Plan 2030 addressing climate risks and stresses
Other Strategy’s and targets adopted in response to the climate emergency include:
Sustainable Transport Strategy 2022- 2023 - adopted on 26 April 2022
Encourages the uptake of active and more sustainable transport choices contributing to lowering our City’s emissions from transport and improve air quality, urban mobility, health and wellbeing, while providing community and Council with practical information to achieve more sustainable transport outcomes that will benefit us all. It complements the City’s new overarching Integrated Transport Strategy.
100% Renewable Energy Target (RET) by 2030 - adopted on 14 April 2020
In support of the RET, Resource Efficiency Targets for certain categories of new buildings, equipment and appliance were also adopted.
On 28 November 2017, the City of Ryde passed a motion to divest from fossil fuel aligned investments in our council portfolio and are currently at 26.9% as at 31 Oct 2020 of our total portfolio.
Working in partnership with others
Council participated in the Southern Sydney Region of Council’s (SSROC) renewable energy Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) 2022, together with 18 other councils to purchase 100% renewable energy for our council assets from three solar farms in NSW.
Council also joined SSROC under a joint tender partnership (2021) to prioritise the use of recycled crushed glass, reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP), reclaimed sand, tyre crumb, pipe bedding and non-structural concrete for our civil works projects. The partnership project with TFNSW bulk procure materials in an effort to address the waste crisis issue for recycling in Australia and to stimulate local manufacturing and material growth whilst reducing emissions through recycled material prioritisation.
To actively monitor carbon emissions across our operations and in the community, Council has partnered with the Northern Sydney Region of Councils (NSROC) to lead a tender for a new emissions reporting dashboard for Northern Sydney. The partnership will see a coordinated approach with 7 councils to track emissions from our operations. This system compliments the community emissions monitoring dashboard Council partners with under the Resilient Sydney program to map a pathway to Net Zero emissions by our 2040 target.