Parramatta could soon fall in the same league as major cities like New York, Rome and Stockholm, as it sets its sights on becoming the next C40 global city.
City of Parramatta will now push ahead with its application to join the C40 Global City program, after the Council agreed to endorse it at the latest meeting.
A global network of nearly 100 mayors from the world’s leading cities, C40 Cities unites city leaders in action to confront the climate crisis.
If Parramatta is successful in becoming the next C40 city, it would join only two other Australian cities in the global network: Sydney and Melbourne.
Council said the C40 cities membership aligns with its commitment to sustainable development and will provide access to valuable resources, knowledge sharing and collaborative opportunities with other leading cities globally to address climate change challenges.
Parramatta Lord Mayor Pierre Esber believes becoming a C40 city fits with the wider vision for the future of Parramatta.
“We want a sustainable future for Parramatta, and we walk the talk,” Esber said.
“In the past 12 months, 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 per cent renewable energy since July 2022 and is continuing its work to reduce its carbon emissions by 60 per cent by 2038, based on 2015 levels.”
It comes after the local Council announced earlier this year it will roll out its new Food Organics and Garden Organics (FOGO) waste collection service from November.
With food waste currently making up about 40 per cent of the contents in red lid bins each week, Council said FOGO could divert up to 19,000 tonnes of waste from landfill each year.
“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,” Esber added.
He said an application to join the C40 network would allow Parramatta to expand its wider 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,” Esber said.
“It includes plans to create an unrivalled 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.”
According to Council, Mayors of C40 cities are 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°C, and to build healthy, equitable and resilient communities.
Ellie Busby is a news reporter for Western Sydney Publishing Group. A graduate of the University of Hertfordshire and Western Sydney University, she is a journalism Major. Ellie has worked with Universal Media, The Cova Project and for a range of other organisations. In 2024, Ellie was named Young Writer of the Year at the Mumbrella Publish Awards.