Auckland has been globally recognised for leadership in tackling climate change.
The super city has been chosen as a finalist in two categories in the prestigious C40 Cities Awards, standing alongside cities such as Milan, San Francisco, Hong Kong and New York.
The C40 Cities Awards acknowledges cities for their leadership on climate action and showcases the innovative policies and programmes that cities have implemented to tackle climate change.
“The selected finalists have each demonstrated bold leadership in implementing pioneering projects that help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and build resilient cities,” said C40 Chair and Rio de Janeiro Mayor Eduardo Paes. “These cities are truly leading the way in tackling climate change, and we believe that their stories will inspire others to take action.”
Mayor Len Brown is delighted that Auckland is receiving international recognition for projects focused on climate change and sustainability.
“This is a great acknowledgement of how dedicated Aucklanders are to addressing the real challenges of climate change. I want to congratulate the staff and community groups who are involved,” said Len Brown.
Sustainable Communities
Auckland’s Wynyard Redevelopment is a finalist in the Sustainable Communities category, alongside projects from Cape Town, Toronto and Curitiba.
“Its vision is to lead sustainable urban transformation and renewal in Auckland and across New Zealand guided by five key strategies: high performance green buildings; renewable energy; sustainable transport; adaptation to change; and exemplar projects,” says John Dalzell, Interim Chief Executive, Panuku Development Auckland.
“The project offers immense value in proving and de-risking the low-carbon development model, and demonstrating economic and public good outcomes. It is already winning hearts and minds across the private sector and government.”
Turning waste to resource
Auckland Council’s Waste to Resource project is a finalist in the Solid Waste category, alongside Milan and Kolkata. Waste to Resource is the biggest change to waste services in the Southern Hemisphere, bringing seven regional services into one city-wide waste management system.
“Auckland has an ambitious goal to be zero waste and it’s a real achievement to be recognised as leading the way as we build new infrastructure for waste management. This project is not just reducing waste to landfill, it’s creating jobs and positively impacting diverse ethnic and socio-economic communities,” says Ian Stupple, Auckland Council’s Waste Solutions General Manager.
Winners announced in December
C40 received 160 applications from 75 cities, which were assessed by a selection committee of urban sustainability and climate change experts at C40 and Sustainia.
The winners will be announced on December 1, 2016, at a ceremony in Mexico City, held alongside the sixth biennial C40 Mayors Summit.
