Before that global pandemic barged in and took all of our attention, and with the urgency of the climate crisis abundantly apparent, sustainability was priority number one for the people of Sydney. Seriously, the last ever print issue of Time Out Sydney in August 2020 was all about climate action, and our team has written extensively about how to live sustainably in Sydney. And although the keep-cup movement has slowed down slightly, the Harbour City is still doing okay when it comes to sustainability – with a recent report ranking Sydney among the most sustainable cities in the world. Coming in at number ten on the recently-released Global Destination Sustainability Index, we can now claim to live in the most sustainable city in the country.
Released in Belgium last week, the index ranked Sydney in tenth place out of more than 100 cities – its highest score to date. The next Aussie city to rank was Melbourne, which came in at number 24, while Brisbane ranked as the 33rd most-sustainable city in the world. Sydney also finished in second place in the metropolis category, with Singapore taking the top spot.
“Taking strong action on climate change is one of our highest priorities, and given 75 per cent of global emissions are generated in cities, our action is critical,” said the Lord Mayor of Sydney, Clover Moore AO.
So, how did they land on this ranking? Well, the GDS-Index evaluates cities on their sustainability efforts in tourism and events, measuring a city’s performances across four key areas: environmental responsibility, social progress, supplier engagement, and destination management. Using the UN sustainable development goals as a guide, the index benchmarks cities against 77 criteria to measure the sustainability performance of environmental and social strategies and outcomes and tourism and business event destinations. Out of all the Aussie cities evaluated, the Harbour City came out as number one – earning Sydney the title of “the country’s leading sustainable destination” as described by our very own Lord Mayor.
Sydney’s sustainability practices are built through its Sustainable Destination Partnership, which supports the event and hospitality sectors in operating more sustainably.
You can see the full list of the world’s most sustainable cities over here, and you can learn more about Sydney’s Sustainable Destination Partnership here.
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