ACT Climate Change Strategy
2026 to 2036
The ACT is committed to net zero emissions by 2045. We’re following the ACT Climate Change Strategy to meet our emissions reduction targets, restore and support nature, and make sure our community is prepared for the changing climate. We can all take action to reduce emissions and improve climate resilience for a more liveable city now and in the future.
About the Strategy
The ACT Climate Change Strategy 2026-36 is an opportunity to underpin a bold and positive future for the ACT to protect our community, maintain existing climate actions and accelerate emissions reduction efforts.
The ACT Climate Change Strategy Overarching Framework sets the direction for climate action in the ACT from 2026 to 2036. It explains what we want to achieve, the work already underway and where further action is needed.
Our vision is for Canberra to be climate resilient and net zero by 2045, with a long-term ambition to become climate positive.
This means:
- Climate resilient: being able to anticipate, withstand and recover from climate events, while adapting to long-term changes to the climate in ways that protect people, communities and the natural environment.
- Climate positive: going beyond net zero by removing additional carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, creating an environmental benefit and moving towards climate repair.
- Net zero: when the greenhouse gas emissions released equal the amount captured from the atmosphere and stored. For the purposes of this Strategy, this refers to Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions in the ACT.
This long-term Overarching Framework will be supported by shorter-term action plans. These will focus on immediate priorities and give us the flexibility to respond to new issues and community needs as they emerge. Action Plan 1 is the ACT’s first short-term action plan guiding current efforts to take climate action.
- Read the ACT Climate Change Strategy Overarching Framework [PDF 13.0 MB].
- Read Action Plan 1 [PDF 13.7 MB].
- Read the Summary Document [PDF 8.7 MB].
Our goals
By 2035–36, we want Canberra to be cleaner, greener and better prepared for a changing climate. Our ACT Climate Change Strategy focuses on three key goals.
Reduce emissions
We will take action to reduce emissions and support Canberra’s transition to a net zero future by 2045. By helping households, businesses and communities use cleaner energy and make low-emission choices, we can reduce the impacts of climate change while creating new jobs, lowering costs and improving quality of life.
Restore and support nature
We will protect and restore the natural environment that makes Canberra a great place to live. Healthy forests, grasslands and waterways help store carbon, support local plants and animals, and make our city more resilient to heatwaves, bushfires and flooding. Looking after nature also improves community wellbeing and helps future generations enjoy the benefits of a healthy environment.
Adapt our city
We will prepare Canberra for the impacts of a changing climate. By creating cooler neighbourhoods, more climate resilient infrastructure and more climate-ready communities, we can better protect people, homes and the environment from extreme heat, bushfires, storms and other climate risks. This will help keep Canberra safe, liveable and inclusive as our climate changes.
Our pillars
Climate action touches all parts of ACT society, but to make things simple, we’ve organised our actions into eight pillars which capture key parts of the ACT community and economy. The eight pillars include:
- Natural environment - protecting nature and ensuring our landscapes support emissions reduction efforts and community wellbeing.
- Built environment - supporting a more liveable, low emissions city that can better withstand climate impacts.
- Transport - reducing emissions by ensuring Canberrans have access to multiple sustainable transport options to move about our city.
- Energy - continuing the ACT’s 100% renewable electricity supply, electrifying our city and phasing out fossil fuel gas.
- Circular economy and waste - increasing resource recovery and reducing waste, and emissions from consumption activities.
- Hard to abate emissions - finding solutions to minimise and manage hard to abate emissions, like refrigerant emissions.
- Agriculture - supporting a resilient, low-emissions and thriving agriculture sector.
- Government - how government will lead by example, decarbonising government operations by 2040 and embedding climate resilience.
To ensure climate action is fair and strengthens Canberra communities, ‘Equity’ and ‘Resilience’ are embedded as two important principles across all of the above pillars.
Working with the community
The Strategy is based on community and targeted consultation conducted in late 2025 and early 2026 to ensure the Strategy is consistent with community priorities, interests and expectations. You can find out more about the consultation and read the Listening Reports outlining what was heard by visiting the YourSay Conversations website.
Targets
The ACT is committed to achieving net zero emissions by 2045 (based on 1990 levels). We’ll get there progressively. We aim to reduce emissions by:
- 65 to 75% by 2030
- 90 to 95% by 2040.
The targets are legislated under the Climate Change and Greenhouse Gas Reduction Act 2010. This Act was independently reviewed in 2021. Read the review [PDF 1.2 MB] and response [PDF 252.1 KB].
The Strategy also commits to targets across adaptation, transport and government operations.
In adaptation, we are aiming for:
- At least 60% of Canberrans to report moderate to high climate resilience by 2030, increasing to 65% by 2036 (measured through the Annual Community Resilience Indicator and the 5 yearly Longitudinal Living Well with a Changing Climate Survey).
- 6.36 GL water to be saved through improved water efficiency by 2036
- Achievement of 30% tree canopy cover by 2045.
In transport, we are aiming for:
- 80-90% of all new vehicle sales in the ACT to be zero emissions by 2030
- 100% of all new vehicle sales in the ACT to be zero emissions by 2035
- 30% of new truck and bus sales in the ACT to be zero emissions by 2030
- 100% of new truck and bus sales in the ACT to be zero emissions by 2040
- All new vehicles onboarded in taxi and ride share fleets to be zero emissions ZEVs from 2030.
New government operations targets have been established and can be viewed in the Overarching Framework.
The Strategy outlines the steps the government will take to achieve these targets.
Why it’s important
Our climate is already changing because of greenhouse gas emissions. This means we will experience longer and hotter summers, more frequent and intense heatwaves and more extreme weather like bushfires and flash flooding.
ACT Climate Projections to 2090
Global emissions are currently tracking between a medium and high emissions scenario, but they are closer to a high emissions scenario.
| 2050 | 2090 | |
|---|---|---|
| Increase in average temperature | +1.4°C | +2.5°C |
| Increase in hot days (>35°C) per year | +3.6 | +8.0 |
| Decrease in cold nights (<2°C) per year | -26.8 | -46.6 |
| Decrease in average rainfall | -7.2% | -19.0% |
| 2050 | 2090 | |
|---|---|---|
| Increase in average temperature | +1.8°C | +3.7°C |
| Increase in hot days (>35°C) per year | +5.3 | +12.8 |
| Decrease in cold nights (<2°C) per year | -32.4 | -67.7 |
| Decrease in average rainfall | -13.9% | -12.9% |
We need to continue supporting global efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions but also take action to prepare for this future. If we act now, we can create a liveable future for our community and future generations.
While working to manage climate change, the strategy also creates other benefits for the community. These include:
- cost savings
- more comfortable homes
- a cooler and more liveable city
- attracting zero emissions research, business and investment, and job opportunities to the ACT.
Linked strategies
This current Strategy builds on the following strategies ongoing government actions and commitments integrated into the new Strategy:
- The Climate Change Strategy (2019 to 2025)
- The Zero Emission Government Framework
- The Zero Emission Vehicle Strategy
- The Living Infrastructure Plan.
This Strategy also works in conjunction with the following existing strategies to progress climate action across the ACT:
- ACT Disaster Resilience Strategy 2024-2030
- ACT Social Recovery Framework
- ACT Transport Strategy 2020
- Active Travel Plan 2024-30
- Zero Emission Transition Plan for Transport Canberra 2024 Refresh
- Nature Conservation Strategy 2026-2036
- ACT Water Strategy 2014-2044
- Canberra Region Local Food Strategy 2024
- Sustainable Buildings Pathway
- Urban Forest Strategy 2021-2045
- Territory Plan
- Integrated Energy Plan 2024-2030
- CBR2030 – ACT’s Strategic Economic Development Framework
- ACT Circular Economy Strategy and Action Plan 2023-30.
Measuring change
In order to measure our success, we need to track our progress. We can use this information to evaluate our progress and see whether the ACT Climate Change Strategy is delivering on its intended outcomes.
A Monitoring, Evaluation, Reporting, and Improvement Framework will be released separately. The government will continue to report on our progress and measure success, for example:
- Measure the ACT’s greenhouse gas emissions over time. See how the ACT is tracking with emissions reductions.
- Measuring and reporting on our yearly climate actions. To find out more see the Minister’s Annual Climate Change Report.
Acknowledgement of Country
We acknowledge the Ngunnawal people as traditional custodians of the ACT and recognise any other people or families with connection to the lands of the ACT and region. We acknowledge and respect their continuing culture and the contribution they make to the life of this city and this region.