Wellington city is on its way to becoming the first capital city in the world to be carbon neutral after Councillors agreed to an ambitious carbon neutral vision for the city.

The majority of Councillors voted at yesterday's Strategy and Policy Committee to the vision and a raft of other recommendations that will see the Council and the city embark on a path to carbon neutrality.

Councillors asked Council officers to report back to the Committee by September with a set of options for carbon emissions reduction targets and carbon offsetting measures including, preliminary cost-benefit analysis of the suggested projects and initiatives that could support them.

They also agreed that the Council enter a memorandum of understanding with the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI) to establish Wellington as its base location and Wellington City Council as its key council partner for New Zealand.

Mayor Kerry Prendergast says the Committee's decision to agree to the vision is appropriate for the capital city of New Zealand and will hopefully act as a catalyst for other councils in New Zealand.  

"I can see Wellington city becoming the first ‘green capital' in the world. The Mayor of London is aiming for that too but I think we'll beat them to it. We already have many sustainable initiatives in place. Thirty four percent of the city's residents take public transport and 10 percent walk to work, while the wind farm being built at Makara will supply sufficient energy to match the requirements for the city, Porirua and the Hutt Valley."

Mayor Prendergast says the overwhelming global scientific view is that climate change is real and that human activity is contributing. Dangerous levels of global warming and sea level rise are expected within this century unless global greenhouse gas emissions are stabilised within the next decade and reduced 50 to 85 percent by 2050. "We need to future-proof the city against the environmental, social and economic impacts of climate change."

The Council's Environment Portfolio Leader, Councillor Celia Wade-Brown, says the Council is already committed to the Communities for Climate Protection (CCP-NZ) programme but needs to act more urgently.

"Let's not underestimate the challenge ahead of us. Technology, product redesign, consumer choice, transport methods and innovation all have a place in how Wellington achieves carbon neutrality. Public support for this vision has been overwhelming. Most Wellington residents and businesses know we must reduce our greenhouse gas emissions and the Council can create infrastructure and influence urban form to enable a carbon neutral capital."

Related Links

• Agenda - Strategy & Policy Committee - 7 June 2007
• Environment
• Communities for Climate Protection - New Zealand website
• ICLEI website

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