Sydney council’s energy target twice as strict as Paris Agreement
A Sydney council will investigate making its facilities take 60 per cent of their power from renewable sources by 2030 — a target that is twice as strict as the Paris Agreement.
NSW
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A SYDNEY council is moving to ban coal in a bid to reach a renewable energy target that would be twice as strict as the Paris Agreement.
The City of Ryde has voted to investigate making every one of its facilities take 60 per cent of their power from renewable sources by 2030.
A motion passed on Monday night said the proposed new target would apply to “all electricity usage for which Ryde Council is financially responsible”.
It was supported by Labor and Greens councillors but opposed by the Liberals, who fear the move would send rates soaring.
Liberal Party councillor Jordan Lane said there had been no costing of the plan.
“I am not a climate sceptic but find the Labor and Green council’s ongoing disregard for ratepayer money in the stubborn pursuit of their ideology alarming,” Mr Lane told The Daily Telegraph.
“My concern is that there is no intention for them to investigate how it will impact power prices for the council, which are ultimately paid by the ratepayers.”
The move mirrors the plans of federal Labor, with Opposition Leader Bill Shorten vowing to increase the nation’s renewable energy split to 50 per cent by 2030.
Australia is already a signatory to the 2015 Paris Agreement, which requires participating nations to reduce carbon emissions and source 26 per cent of energy from clean sources by 2030.
Labor Mayor Jerome Laxale said the council had ordered a report to find out how to best achieve their desired target of 60 per cent.
“There are many ways to achieve renewable energy targets and we have already dropped 10 per cent and have installed solar panels on council buildings with plans to install even more,” he said.
“We have also signed an agreement with a solar farm in regional NSW for clean energy so we will not wait for state and federal government to act.
“We are a financially conservative council and just posted a $32 million surplus and we are in a strong position and our community has told us they want action on the environment.”
The motion says Australia will experience “heatwaves predicted at 50C in Sydney and lasting much longer”, and extreme bushfires fuelled by massive temperatures.