Getting to Carbon Neutral: a Guide for Canadian Municipalities
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GETTING TO CARBON NEUTRAL: a Guide for Canadian Municipalities Getting to Carbon Neutral: A Guide for Canadian Municipalities Produced for Toronto and Region Conservation by Sustainable Infrastructure Group University of Toronto Contact: Christopher Kennedy Department of Civil Engineering, University of Toronto, 35 St. George Street, Toronto, Ontario M5S 1A4 E-mail: [email protected] Telephone: 416-978-5978 GETTING TO CARBON NEUTRAL 2010 Summary CONTEXT Climate change is emerging as the defining challenge of a generation. The scientific evidence that some measure of climate change is anthropogenically induced is overwhelming; greenhouse gas emissions from human activities have risen sharply as population expands and people become increasingly wealthy, and therefore able to consume resources at a faster rate. It is a global issue, both severe and indiscriminate in its impacts, but as daunting a challenge as it may be, addressing climate change offers a focal point for global collaboration and innovation. Furthermore, a significant proportion of the scientific community posits that with decisive action, mitigation is still a viable component of a global response to the threats posed by climate change. The window of opportunity to take action against rising emissions is shrinking. Achieving carbon reduction targets within the necessary timeframe will require coordinated efforts from all levels of government, corporations and individuals. With more than half of the world’s human population living in urban areas, the concentration of financial and human capital positions municipalities particularly well to be successful at contributing significantly to global emission reductions. This report strives to provide Canadian municipalities with a menu of options for greenhouse gas emission reductions, allowing a city to choose the combination of actions that are both feasible and most strategic for their specific circumstances. CARBON NEUTRAL The concept of ‘carbon neutral’ is a useful benchmark to gauge progress toward overall sustainability. Within the context of this report, carbon neutral is defined as: the total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions generated by a city, directly or indirectly, less the emissions sequestered and offset summing to zero. Achieving carbon neutrality is an indicator of living within our ecological means and consuming resources at a rate that does not impede future generations’ ability to enjoy them. Without balancing the rate of emission generation with the rate of sequestration, climate change is inevitable. For an individual municipality, establishing a carbon neutral target makes a statement about the priority level of sustainability and provides a framework to guide a wide range of programs and regulation; collectively working toward carbon neutrality, municipalities could significantly lessen the impact of climate change. REPORT METHODOLOGY AND STRUCTURE Many Canadian municipalities have already taken the first step toward reducing carbon emissions: conducting an inventory of emissions. Data collection is critical to design and implement effective strategies for reducing emissions, but many cities are finding it difficult to translate this information into actual programs and projects with impact. The analysis conducted for this report aims to facilitate the transition from data collection to strategic action. 4 GETTING TO CARBON NEUTRAL 2010 Carbon dioxide has great utility as a standard unit of measurement, and permits the extensive quantitative modeling contained in this guide. Part I reiterates the value and process of carbon inventorying and identifies the categories of significant sources of GHG emissions from a city. Part II offers best practice strategies for GHG reductions in these categories and provides Estimation Guidelines—equations that quantify the approximate emission reductions that could be achieved from implementing these activities. The suggested activities in Part II are derived from the actual experiences of cities across Canada and worldwide that are experimenting with an array of actions to reduce emissions. Over 70 case studies substantiate the suggested actions and the associated Estimation Guidelines. The variety in the scale and nature of the projects explored through the case studies indicates that participation in climate change mitigation activity need not be restricted by the size, location or other characteristics of the municipality. There are opportunities to tailor strategies to fit the unique conditions of each individual municipality. Part III compares different strategies, considering both the costs and the GHG abatement potential. It also offers a “Top Ten” list of specific actions a city could take with the greatest impact on GHG emissions. FINDINGS The areas identified in the report as having the greatest mitigation potential in the municipal context are familiar to the environmental policy and planning community. They are consistent with previous knowledge of the key drivers of GHG emission reduction, as are the actions highlighted as “best practices” in the report. However, maximizing the GHG abatement potential may require a collaborative effort between municipal, provincial and/or federal governments. The areas recommended for strategic action are: 1. Buildings a. Retrofits of existing buildings for greater efficiency. b. Stricter regulation for resource consumption in new buildings. 2. Land use and urban planning a. Increased density. b. Increased urban green spaces (parkland, urban tree canopy, green roofs). c. Neighbourhood design that encourages active transportation (cycling and walking) 3. Transportation a. Improve coverage of public transit infrastructure. b. Inhibit personal automobile use in urban areas (tolls, restricted parking, traffic calming mechanisms). c. Encourage adoption of electric or low-emission vehicles. 5 GETTING TO CARBON NEUTRAL 2010 4. Energy Supply a. Integrated community energy planning. b. Harvest energy from municipal waste stream. c. Increase renewable energy supply. 5. Efficiency and demand management a. Increase efficiency of municipal services and buildings. The Estimation Guidelines and the case studies revealed that more expensive projects resulted in greater GHG savings. The trend of projects requiring greater investment yielding greater GHG abatement was generally consistent across categories. The guide highlights several especially noteworthy cases, in which the ratio of GHG emissions saved per investment was substantially higher, such as a congestion pricing scheme for central London and Calgary’s light rail system, the C-train. The guide concludes that there are indeed opportunities for municipalities to reduce their emissions dramatically, and that achieving carbon neutrality is possible in the Canadian municipal context. The report also notes that there are social, economic and environmental benefits to many of these projects beyond their climate change mitigation potential, further enhancing their value. Acknowledgements The authors of this guide appreciate the advice and contributions provided by the following: Bernie McIntyre (Toronto and Region Conservation) Jeff Birchall (Toronto and Region Conservation) Lindsay Wright (Toronto and Region Conservation) William Glenn (W.M. Glenn Environmental Consultants) Tony Iacobelli (City of Vaughan) Gary Wilde (Region of Peel) Vicky McGrath (City of Markham) Mark Bekkering (City of Toronto) Eleanor McAtteer (City of Toronto) Mike Mulqueen (City of Toronto) Renee Lazarowich (Natural Resources Canada) Claude Lefrançois (Natural Resources Canada) 6 GETTING TO CARBON NEUTRAL 2010 CONTENTS Summary ...........................................................................................................................................................................................................4 Acknowledgements ......................................................................................................................................................................................6 Contents ............................................................................................................................................................................................................7 List of Estimation Guidelines ......................................................................................................................................................................9 List of Case Studies ........................................................................................................................................................................................9 List of Tables .................................................................................................................................................................................................. 10 List of Figures ................................................................................................................................................................................................ 12 Part1. Understanding Municipal GHG Emissions ............................................................................................................................ 14 CHAPTER 1: INtrODUctiON ..............................................................................................15 1.1 Climate Change and the Global Carbon Cycle .............................................................................................................