Sustainability is no longer just an afterthought. It now plays a major role in the choices we make – from the restaurants we dine at to the hotels we stay at and the way we get around. But some Australian cities are embracing the green movement far better than others, with new research revealing which spots are leading the charge and which are lagging behind.
Australia's youngest capital city, Canberra (including Queanbeyan), gets the green glory, emerging as the nation’s most sustainable. In a new study by iSelect of Australia’s 50 largest cities, it scored highly across seven key factors, from carbon emissions and solar installation density to renewable energy generation and tree canopy coverage.
Canberra led the nation with the lowest carbon emissions by far at 1.69 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents (tCO₂e) per capita, while 100 per cent of its energy comes from renewables. The city also had the joint-highest energy investment at $449.68 per capita, proving residents are putting sustainability front and centre.
Although too small to officially qualify as a city, South Australia’s Victor Harbor – Goolwa region claimed second place, boasting impressively low emissions of 7.30 tCO₂e per capita and the nation’s second-highest solar energy density at 60 per cent. However, its total was brought down by the lowest tree canopy coverage in the top ten, at just 9.6 per cent.
Interestingly, no cities in Victoria, Western Australia and the Northern Territory were listed among the top 25 most sustainable. South Australia dominated the top ten, with Adelaide and Mount Gambier claiming third and fourth spots. The Sunshine Coast also stood out in fifth, thanks to having the nation’s highest solar installation density at 62.3 per cent – almost triple that of Hobart, which ranked just ahead in fifth for its stronger carbon emissions and renewable energy scores.
With carbon emissions a staggering 16 times higher than Canberra’s and just a meagre 6.7 per cent of its energy coming from renewables, Darwin takes the unenviable title of Australia's least sustainable city. Gladstone in Queensland stands out with the highest emissions in the country at an enormous 108.34 tCO₂e per capita, reflecting its role as an industrial and energy hub. Meanwhile, cities in Western Australia and Victoria fill out the remaining bottom eight spots. You can check out a snapshot of the sustainable cities rankings below or look further into the stats here.
The 10 most sustainable cities in Australia
- Canberra–Queanbeyan, ACT/NSW
- Victor Harbor–Goolwa, SA
- Adelaide, SA
- Mount Gambier, SA
- Hobart, TAS
- Sunshine Coast, QLD
- Port Macquarie, NSW
- Launceston, TAS
- Ballina, NSW
- Coffs Harbour, NSW
The 10 least sustainable cities in Australia
- Darwin, NT
- Gladstone, QLD
- Kalgoorlie–Boulder, WA
- Warrnambool, VIC
- Geraldton, WA
- Albany, WA
- Bunbury, WA
- Perth, WA
- Busselton, WA
- Mildura–Buronga, VIC