( CNN ) -- With more than half the world 's population living in cities , there 's never been a more important time to consider sustainability . Sydney has been at the forefront of this since establishing the `` Sustainable Sydney 2030 '' vision . If cities are to thrive , we ca n't continue to allow accidental growth . A clear plan supported by residents , workers , businesses , visitors and backed by strong political leadership is what we need . In Sydney , this has been our warmest winter in 150 years with the average daily temperature rarely dropping below 68 degrees Fahrenheit ( 20 degrees Celsius ) . Last summer we had our hottest day on record , hitting 114.8 degrees Fahrenheit ( 46 degrees Celsius ) . Looking forward , we are bracing for another scorching summer of heat waves , drought and fire . The City of Sydney ( CoS ) has set some ambitious targets by aiming to cut 70 percent of our carbon emissions by 2030 ( on 2006 levels of 5.4 million tonnes per annum ) . We 've looked into a number of clean tech solutions over the years , many of which we 're already putting into place . This includes installing Australia 's biggest program of building-mounted solar panels -- with 5,500 solar panels on 30 buildings . Not only have we rolled out LED streetlights that emit half the carbon , but we 've also retrofitted 45 council owned properties to reduce energy , water and waste . To go green , CoS are working to increase the urban canopy by 50 percent by 2030 . This includes planting 8,900 trees since 2005 . With a warming of two degrees - and projections show we are headed for a four to six degree change -- we risk catastrophic climate change . While Sydney is moving towards a more sustainable future , climate change demands we do more . Last week a study released by the Australian Energy Market Operator found the cost of moving Australia to 100 percent clean energy would be roughly equal to sticking with coal . That 's one of the reasons we 're working on plans for local and clean energy . Gas-fired trigeneration - a technology that uses heat from energy production making it more than twice as efficient as coal power stations -- is one of the tools we 're using to end our reliance on coal-fired power and generate 30 percent of our energy needs from clean , renewable sources . As far as transport goes , cities like New York and London have experienced a cycling boom and despite the nay-sayers , Sydney has also seen a 113 percent increase in cycling since 2010 . But to give residents an efficient transport option that gets them out of their cars , we are completing a 125-mile cycling network . As Sydney becomes a greener and better connected place , our long term `` Sustainable Sydney 2030 '' plan is designed to make sure the city works for everyone , now and in the future . To make that happen we 'll need to make bold decisions and test new ideas and that 's exactly what we 're doing in Sydney .
Combating climate change is at the heart of ` ` ' Sydney 2030 '' , says Sydney 's Mayor . From investing in solar panels to LED street lights , Sydney is exploring ways to cut emissions . The city also has some ambitious goals to cut 70 percent of carbon emissions by 2020 .