By ELIZABETH FRIAS
PARRAMATTA wants to join the C40 global city to meet climate change challenges and become sustainable as its population grows rapidly estimated half a million by 2050.
Established 15 years ago, the C40 is a global network of nearly 100 mayors from the world’s leading cities such as New York, Washington DC, Tokyo, Toronto, Stockholm, Paris, London Madrid, Barcelona, Berlin, Rome, Johannesburg, New Delhi, Beijing and Jakarta.
These mayors met in Paris before the 2024 Summer Olympic Games where they launched ‘It’s in the Air’ their latest worldwide campaign calling for the necessity of creating clean air zones in urban and transport planning policies.
Sydney and Melbourne are current C40 members and Parramatta follows their moves along with dozens of Oceania and South Asia cluster of countries including Auckland who are taking global action on climate change to become resilient cities and sustainable communities.
Lord Mayor Pierre Esber said the objectives of the C40 fit with the wider vision for the city’s future contained in the draft Parramatta 2050 vision which included latest inclusions and residents are urged to have their say again.
“We want a sustainable future for Parramatta, and we walk the talk,” Councillor Esber said.
“We’ve become the first Council in Australia to achieve carbon neutral certification for services in a public domain for Parramatta Square and earned a 6-star Green Star rating for our civic hub, PHIVE.
“Council is proud to be powered by 100 percent renewable energy since July 2022 and is continuing its work to reduce its carbon emissions by 60 percent by 2038, based on 2015 levels.
“By the end of 2024, the food organics garden organics (FOGO) waste program will be up and running in our LGA to help divert food waste from landfill and reduce emissions even further.”
Mayors of C40 cities have committed to using an inclusive, science-based and collaborative approach to cut emissions in half by 2030, helping the world limit global heating to 1.5 degrees centigrade, and to build healthy, equitable, and resilient communities.
Cr Esber said an application to join the C40 network is the next stage and once accepted, Parramatta, popularly known as Sydney’s second CBD, could expand its broader sustainability objectives on the international stage.
“We’re currently asking the community for feedback on a long-term vision for our City that seeks to secure Parramatta’s status as a global city,” Cr Esber said.
“It includes plans to create an unrivaled river city that is a global leader in resilience, regeneration and recreation and to create a model city at Camellia-Rosehill that is a world-class example of urban regeneration.”
The revised Parramatta 2050 contained residents’ feedback from the first draft presented in May which was adopted by the councillors attheir August 12 meeting.
Residents can comment on the draft Parramatta 2050 vision, by visiting https://participate.cityofparramatta.nsw.gov.au/2050.
For more information about the C40 global network, visit https://www.c40.org/about-c40/.
