Auckland Council must up climate change game or leave global group of leaders
Auckland Council must decide whether to up its climate action game , or leave a prestigious global group of cities pledged to making ambitious cuts to their carbon emissions. The council joined the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group in 2015, adopting its goal of halving carbon emissions by 2030, and being net carbon neutral by 2050. C40 has just raised its requirements of members, and Auckland councillors will on Thursday debate whether to accept the new standard, or quit the group. One of the biggest hurdles facing the city is the requirement by 2024 to be able to say it is on track to halve emissions by 2030 . It will also have to start paying for some activities previously funded by C40 . READ MORE: * Auckland's public transport fare rises contradict its climate action goals * Climate change: Lobby group threatens legal moves to make Auckland Council act * Auckland has a Climate Action Plan, now it desperately needs action Council management advised staying on board, and meeting the tougher standards, arguing that leaving C40 would cause reputational and delivery risks to councils climate change activity and plans. Auckland Mayor Phil Goff was hosted at a C40 gathering in Paris in 2017, and in speeches still points to his signing an accord committing Auckland to phasing out diesel buses in favour of electric ones. Auckland holds the status of an innovator city in C40 , alongside Copenhagen and Rotterdam. The C40 calls for greater commitment from 97 city members, comes a week after a coalition of climate change activists said the council could face legal action if it didnt meet its goals and policies. In weighing up C40s new standards, council staff flagged the 2024 assurance that emissions were falling as pledged, as needing more work. Meeting the emissions targets set out in Te Taruke-a-Tawhiri (Aucklands council-adopted Climate Plan) is not plausible without bold, ambitious action from a range of stakeholders, wrote Alec Tang, the chief sustainability officer in a report to councillors. Further work is required to be able to demonstrate that the city has done all in its power to achieve the targets set out in [the plan], he said. Chairman of the councils Environment and Climate Change committee, Richard Hills, said the city should stay in C40 and heed its tougher calls. It would be embarrassing and disappointing if we had to drop out, Hills told Stuff . We are going to have to be able to show that by 2024 we are reducing our emissions C40 should be pressure to meet those targets and goals, he said, noting the community was already demanding a bigger effort. Another area flagged for the politicians attention is C40s requirement that the mayor and the city demonstrate global climate leadership and inspire others to act in support of the Paris Agreement . The mayor already undertakes many of these activities, however, it is clear from C40 that they are seeking renewed and visible commitment and action from member cities leadership, wrote Tang. The council report noted that a designate often represented the mayor at events, and while that was likely to meet the new standard, it may require additional resource and time from the mayor. Auckland Council has in the past hosted several C40 networking meetings, and that is expected to continue with the council instead picking up the tab. The C40 call increases the pressure on Auckland councillors to deliver on the pledges made in the citys climate plan, signed off in 2020, which will need a cut of up to 70 per cent in transport emissions. Public consultation will soon open on the councils next Ten Year Budget , which includes the first funding dedicated to implementing the plan, although in some cases councillors have not favoured options with the highest impact. Last week representatives of the All Aboard coalition of climate-focussed groups urged the council to acted swiftly and boldly, warning legal action could result from failing to enact agreed policy. We dont want to sue people, its time-consuming, and expensive and disruptive but we are very committed to seeing this country achieve its climate goals, Jenny Cooper QC, from Lawyers for Climate Action, told councillors.