City-Level Decoupling-Case Studies

CITY-LEVEL DECOUPLING: URBAN RESOURCE FLOWS AND THE GOVERNANCE OF INFRASTRUCTURE TRANSITIONS

18. The City of Melbourne, Australia: Leading by Example

By Stefanie Swanepoel

The city of Melbourne intends to be carbon neutral by 2020 through radical improvements in energy efficiency, reductions in energy and water consumption as well as improved waste management in city operations. Realising the serious threat climate change poses to future economic activity, the city released its strategy document called Zero Net Emissions by 2020 – A Roadmap to a Climate Neutral City in 2003, and has positioned itself as a centre for knowledge- based industries. 127 Melbourne faces problems associated with rising temperatures and declining average rainfalls, and Australia is potentially the most susceptible developed country when it comes to climate change due to its arid climate. The city is also geographically located near a range of vulnerable economies and societies, making it a potential destination for people displaced by the impacts of climate change. The city’s low carbon initiative is grounded in the financial merits of early action on climate change mitigation as well as the opportunity to drive the development of new technologies and the business opportunities arising there from. Positioning Melbourne as an international hub of expertise on commercial building retrofits, taking advantage of the increasing demand for energy efficiency technology, applications to increase exports were identified as ways to derive economic benefits for the city and its residents. 128 Updated in 2008, the plan will be constantly reviewed in order to take advantage of the latest science and technological advances in climate change knowledge and best practices of successful implementations in other cities of the world. Driven by the city, in partnership with other regional, state and national bodies, the initiative focuses on three broad strategies: leading edge design, de-carbonising/greening the power supply and carbon offsetting. All three strategies have action items aligned to them with specific timeframes for implementation. This initiative was rolled out in the context of international and national treaties including the 2005 European Union Greenhouse Gas Emissions Trading Scheme, Australia’s ratification of the Kyoto Protocol in 2007 and the commitment of the Australian government towards an Australian National Emissions Trading Scheme. Melbourne is also part of the C40 Large Cities Climate Leadership Group. The plan is also envisaged as a ‘blueprint' for other Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) countries. 129 The city’s primary focus on the mitigation of its own operations is premised on the belief that by setting an example and implementing strong policy guidelines whilst making information and incentives available to both residents and businesses, they will follow suit. This initiative has been galvanised by a combination of policymaking, financial measures, innovative urban design and specific programmes to address target areas. The Importance of Partnerships

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