"Australia's greenhouse gas emissions have increased for four consecutive years. It is clear that the current federal government's policies are simply not working and I call on council to declare a climate emergency."

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Sydney is the latest council to declare a climate emergency, following global cities London, Auckland, Vancouver, and hundreds of others.

Greenpeace Australia on Tuesday said it welcomed the move, labelling it a bold demonstration of leadership.

"The global movement of climate emergency declarations coming from a local level proves that change is coming, and it's coming from the ground up," deputy director Nic Seton said in a statement.

The City of Sydney said it was the country's first carbon-neutral council in 2007.

By next year, it will use 100 per cent renewable energy and plans to meet its 2030 target of cutting emissions by 70 per cent six years early in 2024.

Earlier this month the Inner West Council became the first in NSW to be 100 per cent divested from fossil fuels.

"Transferring all of our investments into non-fossil fuel funds is a moral act but also a financially prudent one," Mayor Darcy Byrne said.

"We join a long list of organisations around the world that are making this environmental statement."