Canberra judged most sustainable city in the world

The Australia capital of Canberra topped the sustainability ranking

Australian capital city Canberra has topped a new study of the world’s most sustainable cities.

The study, conducted by UK price comparison site Uswitch, calculated an index score based on seven sustainability factors which were: energy; transportation infrastructure; affordability; pollution; air quality; CO2 emissions; and percentage of green space available.

Public transport service

Canberra was found to have excellent public transport service; it offers 48 per cent of its energy in sustainable ways, while scoring one of the lowest scores (13.89) on the pollution index.

Spanish capital city Madrid occupied second position, scoring highly for energy (77 per cent) and transport (82 per cent), with Queensland capital Brisbane completing the top three – scoring low on pollution rates (22 per cent) and high for transport infrastructure (75 per cent).

The study noted Australian cities in general perform well, with ‘excellent’ solar power bidding farewell to energy options of the past. In addition, Australia is often regarded as a leader in sustainable development as it recognises the role it plays in the wellbeing of its people and nation.

“Many cities around the world are committing to environmental change and making it easier for their residents to make greener choices in their lives”

Rounding out the top 10 most sustainable cities are: Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE); Copenhagen, Denmark; Frankfurt and Hamburg, Germany; Prague, Czech Republic; Abu Dhabi, UAE; and Zurich, Switzerland.