City takes action for a sustainable Hobart

Published on 10 August 2020

Continued reductions to Hobart’s energy use and emissions, improved resilience against natural disasters and the embracing of innovative energy and transport solutions are among the key goals of a draft plan released today for community feedback.

The draft Sustainable Hobart Action Plan – Responding to Climate Change aims to make Hobart more environmentally, socially and economically sustainable.

The community is invited to provide comment on the draft plan, which contains 42 proposed actions that are categories under the key areas of Leadership, Mobility, Energy, Resilience, Waste and Governance.

Lord Mayor Anna Reynolds said the draft plan drew from the outcomes of Hobart’s Community Vision and was the culmination of more than two decades of action by the City of Hobart in response to climate change.

“The City of Hobart was the first Tasmanian council to commit to climate action in 1999, the first Tasmanian council to set a zero-waste-to-landfill target, and the first capital city in Australia to declare a climate emergency,” Cr Reynolds said.

“For more than 20 years, the City of Hobart has been taking action by reducing its corporate emissions and responding to climate impacts through both mitigation and adaptation measures.”

Cr Reynolds said the draft action plan further responded to the challenges posed by climate change by developing targeted, localised actions.

“This draft plan aims to further develop and promote the City’s leadership in this area through a series of practical steps to make Hobart a more sustainable city,” she said.

“It includes programs aimed at fostering sustainability leadership among our young people, the investigation and trial of energy-efficient transport and technologies, and programs that encourage new ways of sharing, purchasing and storing energy.

“Before we can finalise this plan, we want to know what a sustainable Hobart might look like for those people who live and work in our city.

“With our community’s help, we look forward to delivering practical actions with real and ongoing sustainability and biodiversity outcomes.”

Consultation on the draft Sustainable Hobart Action Plan is currently open, with feedback invited via an online survey until 25 September. Online and in-person engagement sessions will also be held, with details to be made available via the City of Hobart’s YourSay website.

To view the draft Sustainable Hobart Action Plan – Responding to Climate Change and to provide feedback, visit yoursay.hobartcity.com.au.