The Australian government has declared the City of Adelaide to have been carbon neutral for the fiscal year of 2019-20 – fulfilling the target set by the city council in 2008 to achieve that status by the year 2020. Adelaide is part of the government of South Australia which has the goal to be carbon neutral by 2025.
The declaration is in accordance with the Global Protocol for Community Scale Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventories (GPC) which standards for measuring emissions from four main sectors: stationary energy, transportation, waste, and industrial processes and product use.
The city has taken a number of steps towards carbon neutrality. Some of these actions include:
- installing large solar arrays on eight municipal buildings;
- purchasing a fully electric passenger vehicle along with hybrids and electric carts for the city’s fleet used by its outdoor teams;
- installing LED streetlights;
- committing to 100 per cent renewable electricity for all operations;
- having a policy of sustainable procurement; and,
- holding sustainable events.
“The City of Adelaide today joins a group of over 150 leading organisations in Australia who are carbon neutral – including Telstra, NAB, and Cities of Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane,” said Lord Mayor Sandy Verschoor. “The Adelaide Festival is now a carbon neutral event, and there is a growing number of local companies following suit. In the process of becoming carbon neutral we have achieved operational efficiencies and reduced costs, that ultimately benefit our community and ratepayers. The City of Adelaide has a long-term 100 per cent renewable electricity contract for all operations, that is saving money while creating regional jobs. The council has been undertaking significant improvements to its buildings’ energy efficiency over the last decade.”