28 March 2006

Auckland City rises to climate change challenge

Auckland City Council has reached a key milestone in its programme to reduce greenhouse gas emissions with the completion of an analysis of emissions from council and the community.

Last night Auckland City was recognised for its commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions through its participation in the Communities for Climate Protection - New Zealand (CCP-NZ) Programme at the CCP-NZ Recognition Event in Wellington.

"I'm delighted that Auckland City's efforts to meet the challenge of climate change are being recognised," says Councillor Christine Caughey, chairperson of Auckland City's Environment, Heritage and Urban Form Committee.

"By meeting this milestone, we now have the baseline data on the council and community's greenhouse gas emissions that will allow us to achieve other milestones in the CCP-NZ programme, including setting emission reduction goals and developing a local plan of action."

Councillor Caughey says that Auckland City has already embedded environmental initiatives in the council's work programmes that will help to reduce green gas emissions.

"Programmes to encourage the use of public transport, such as the 'Buses First' programme and the construction of Britomart, have a significant impact in reducing greenhouse gas emissions from private vehicles," she says.

"We also believe in 'walking the talk' at a corporate level - for example, the council is sending its food waste to a vertical composting unit at Unitech, instead of sending it to landfill where it would break down and emit greenhouse gases.

"But it's not just about what is being done," Councillor Caughey says. "It's also about how far and how fast we have to go - and the challenge is enormous."

Auckland City's Mayor Dick Hubbard attended the Recognition Event with other local leaders from all over New Zealand, who gathered to share initiatives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives - Australia/New Zealand (ICLEI-A/NZ) and the Ministry for the Environment hosted the event.

CCP-NZ is a New Zealand Government initiative delivered by ICLEI-A/NZ. This programme is part of ICLEI's International Cities for Climate Protection campaign. There are 17 local and regional councils participating in the programme around New Zealand.

ENDS

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