Yarra City Council has been recognised for its ambition, leadership and transparency on climate action.
The international non-profit Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) has awarded Yarra top marks as an 'A-list city', making Yarra one of just seven local governments in Australia, and 122 cities globally recognised with this top score for action on climate change.
The CDP identifies 'A-List' cities that demonstrate their climate leadership through concerted and effective action. These cities are taking twice as many mitigation and adaptation measures as non-'A List' cities.
To score an A, a city must disclose publicly through CDP-ICLEI Track, which is a climate reporting platform that tracks progress and accountability. It also must have a city-wide emissions inventory, have published a climate action plan, and completed a climate risk and vulnerability assessment. Cities must also have a climate adaptation plan to demonstrate how they will tackle climate hazards.
Yarra City Council Mayor Cr Claudia Nguyen said that the 'A-list' rating demonstrates Council's leadership in taking measurable climate action.
"By putting our Climate Emergency Plan to work, we're making clear progress in our commitment to improve Yarra's long-term environmental sustainability," Mayor Nguyen said.
"This achievement recognises the importance of robust environmental data which supports the ambitious, innovative strategy underpinning our response to the climate emergency."
Yarra reports annually on its climate action and outcomes via CDP-ICLEI Track as part of its commitments to Global Covenant of Mayors (GCoM), Cities Race to Zero and ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability.
This achievement recognises the importance of robust environmental data which supports the ambitious, innovative strategy underpinning our response to the climate emergency.