Climate Ready Hobart: Zero Emissions by 2040

Hobart’s Climate Ready Hobart Strategy 2040 is a whole-of-city roadmap to reach zero community emissions by 2040 while building resilience to floods, heat and other climate risks. It translates community expectations from Tasmania’s first climate citizens’ assembly and extensive engagement into three headline goals: Zero Emissions Hobart, Climate Resilient Hobart and Lead as a Capital City.

The strategy targets at least a 70% cut in community emissions by 2030 (from 2020 levels), and zero emissions by 2040, supported by sectoral pathways for transport, buildings and energy, waste and council operations. It combines technical actions, electrification, renewable energy, AI-guided canopy mapping, compact urban development, with social programs such as the Youth Climate Action Fund and Urban Sustainability Grants to mobilise households, businesses and young people.

From 2026, Hobart will focus on AI mapping to lift tree canopy toward 40% by 2046, and a new planning policy to enable 3,000 additional dwellings linked to public transport, walking and cycling by 2040, explicitly tying climate action to affordability and liveability.

Hobart’s implementation focuses on translating a high-level climate “greenprint” into concrete, financed actions across sectors, anchored in strong governance and active community participation. Key pillars include:

a) Governance, targets and pathways

• Defines three overarching goals—Zero Emissions, Climate Resilient, and Lead as a Capital City—supported by 12 priorities spanning transport, buildings, preparedness, and climate-ready workplaces.
• Uses emissions-reduction pathways and climate risk and vulnerability assessments to set sectoral trajectories and investment priorities.
• Delivers five-year Climate Action Plans integrated into annual budgets, ensuring actions are costed, implemented, and tracked through existing council processes.

b) Zero-emissions transport and compact growth

• Prioritises a compact city where walking, cycling, and public transport are the default, while advocating for zero-emissions public transport at state level.
• Aligns zoning and design controls to deliver 3,000+ new dwellings in transit-accessible areas, linking climate action with affordability and access.
• Expands e-mobility and active transport and commits to a 100% electric council passenger fleet by 2030, and all medium and large vehicles by 2035.

c) Zero-emissions buildings and energy

• Supports household and business electrification through information, energy audits, and demonstration projects.
• Advocates for stronger national and state policies on building standards, climate disclosure, and retrofit financing.
• Advances council-led retrofits, including LED streetlighting, rooftop solar, and Dark Sky City measures.

d) Waste, circular economy and nature-based solutions

• Advances zero waste to landfill by 2030 through FOGO expansion and landfill-gas electricity generation.
• Expands urban canopy using AI mapping and targeted investment in heat-exposed areas.
• Restores waterways and ecosystems, delivering biodiversity gains and flood resilience.

e) Youth leadership and community resilience

• Funds youth-led action through micro-grants supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies.
• Builds on Resilient Hobart initiatives to strengthen social cohesion after climate shocks.
• Uses grants and climate assemblies to embed continuous community co-design.

Hobart’s zero-emissions pathway is explicitly partnership-driven, blending local leadership with regional, national and global collaboration.

• Community & civil society
  • Hobart Climate Assembly: 33 randomly selected residents representing diverse ages, backgrounds and tenures co-developed 10 key recommendations now embedded in the strategy.
  • Bushcare groups, schools and youth organisations co-deliver tree planting, habitat restoration and climate education.
• Youth and education
  • Partnerships with schools, University of Tasmania and youth collectives to deliver Youth Climate Action Fund projects and citizen-science initiatives (e.g. monitoring rivulet health, emissions awareness).
• Inter-governmental & regional
  • Collaboration with the Southern Tasmanian Councils Authority’s Regional Climate Change Initiative and Tasmanian Government on risk assessments, transport plans and disclosure standards.
  • Alignment with Tasmanian and Australian climate strategies, Paris Agreement goals and the UN SDGs. 
• Global networks & philanthropy
  • Engagement through the Global Covenant of Mayors and ICLEI; Hobart sits on the GCoM global board and has CDP A-List recognition for its climate leadership. 
  • Partnership with Bloomberg Philanthropies and allied organisations for the Youth Climate Action Fund and international learning exchanges. 

Climate Ready Hobart is framed as a community project, not just a council plan, with heavy emphasis on storytelling, youth voices and accessible science.

• Extensive engagement program including more than 1,084 conversations, 240 climate leaders and nine hours of co-design workshops before drafting the strategy.
• Plain-language flipbook and web content, infographics and maps explaining emissions, climate risks and everyday actions. 
• Promotion of young people’s perspectives through UN stories, local media and social channels, positioning them as central actors in climate solutions. 
• Ongoing communication via Your Say Hobart, Climate Ready Hobart forums, social media, and awards recognising climate leadership. 

Hobart combines council capital investment, external grants and micro-grants to unlock climate action at multiple scales.

• Council capital and operational budgets
  • Multi-year investments in LED streetlighting, solar PV, fleet electrification and building upgrades that both cut emissions and generate A$1.2 million annual savings in energy costs.
  • Integration of climate actions into the Capital City Strategic Plan, Annual Plan and budget cycles to ensure predictable funding streams.
• Community grants and micro-grants
  • Urban Sustainability Grants: A$220,000 over five years for 23 community-led projects in energy, transport, food and waste. 
  • Youth Climate Action Fund: US$50,000 (A$75,000) initial funding from Bloomberg Philanthropies, distributed as grants of A$1,500–7,500 to youth-led climate initiatives, with potential to unlock a further US$100,000 (≈A$150,000). 
  • Council community grants totalling nearly A$400,000 in 2025, including 18 youth-led climate projects funded through YCAF. 
• External co-funding
  • Recovery and resilience projects after the 2018 floods co-funded by Australian and Tasmanian governments under Natural Disaster Relief and Recovery Arrangements, building capacity that now underpins climate resilience work. 

While the strategy is newly endorsed, Hobart builds on a strong track record of measurable climate outcomes.

• Operational emissions leadership
  • Achieved a 75% reduction in council emissions by 2010 from a 2000 baseline, exceeding initial targets, and a 20% further reduction by 2020 with energy use down 40%. 
• Waste and circular economy
  • FOGO and landfill-gas projects avoid hundreds of tonnes of CO₂-e each year and generate renewable electricity, while zero-waste commitments push diversion and reuse. 
• Nature and resilience
  • Over 3,500 native plants established through Hobart Rivulet Bushcare and 15 bushcare groups; canopy fund and riparian restoration reduce flood risk and improve biodiversity. 
• Community empowerment
  • Urban Sustainability Grants and YCAF have funded dozens of local innovations, from low-emissions school transport to platypus-habitat restoration, building a culture of shared responsibility. 
• Recognition and leadership
  • National Stakeholder Engagement Award for the Hobart Climate Assembly, and inclusion on the CDP A-List, confirming international recognition of Hobart’s approach to inclusive climate governance. 

Hobart is explicit about the headwinds it faces and uses them to refine its strategy.

• Car dependence and weak public transport: More than half of Hobart’s emissions come from road transport, in a context of high car ownership and historically low investment in public transport. 
• Myths and complacency: Perceptions that Tasmania is “safe” or “already 100% renewable” can undermine urgency, even as climate risks grow. 
• Cost-of-living pressures: Many households prioritise immediate financial concerns over long-term investments in efficiency and electrification, requiring innovative financing and targeted support. 
• Technological and financial risk: Transitioning fleets and infrastructure to emerging zero-emissions technologies carries capital costs and performance uncertainty; Hobart adopts a staged, “no-regrets” approach and focuses on mature technologies first.
• Climate shocks: The 2018 floods exposed infrastructure and social vulnerabilities; while Resilient Hobart was award-winning, it also revealed the need for ongoing investment and cross-council cooperation. 

Hobart shows how a small capital city can punch above its weight by combining ambitious zero-emissions targets with deep community co-design, youth leadership, and nature-based solutions. The approach is highly replicable for mid-sized cities that may feel “too small to matter” but aim to align with 1.5°C pathways.

Key transferable lessons include:

• Co-design a science-based greenprint: Pair emissions-pathway modelling and climate-risk assessments with deliberative democracy (climate assemblies, youth forums) to ensure targets are robust and socially legitimate.

• Link climate, housing and mobility: Use climate strategy to support compact, transit-oriented growth and reduce car dependence while protecting natural areas.

• Invest in grant ecosystems: Small, recurring grants mobilise local innovation, volunteer energy, and durable political support.

• Combine nature and data: AI-guided urban canopy expansion shows how nature-based solutions can deliver health, heat-risk, and equity co-benefits.

• Embed climate in governance and finance: Integrating climate into plans, budgets, and procurement—and prioritising local zero-emissions investments—can be replicated by any municipality.

Together, Climate Ready Hobart offers a pragmatic, ambitious template for cities pursuing zero emissions, resilience, and social equity by mid-century.

• Climate Ready Hobart Strategy - City of Hobart   
• Global Covenant of Mayors – Hobart city profile 
• UN story: Hobart – young people are vital to putting in place climate solutions 
• Youth Climate Action Fund – City of Hobart information page 

Environment & Sustainability/ Climate
City of Hobart
hobartcity.com.au
coh@hobartcity.com.au