HomeMy WebLinkAboutEnv - 2018-01-18 - Item 1 - Community Climate Action Plan - Phase 2
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9ǣĻĭǒƷźǝĻ {ǒƒƒğƩǤ
ClimateActionWR is currently consulting with stakeholders on a proposed long-term target for
community greenhouse gas emissions reductions in Waterloo Region. ŷĻ ƦƩƚƦƚƭĻķ ƷğƩŭĻƷ źƭ БЉі
ĬĻƌƚǞ ЋЉЊЉ ƌĻǝĻƌƭ ĬǤ ƷŷĻ ǤĻğƩ ЋЉЎЉ.
At the highest level, the research in this report supports the selection of an 80% target. This is consistent
with targets being set by other similar Ontario municipalities, provincial and federal targets, and current
climate science. An 80% target is also consistent with the clear desire of community members to pursue
ambitious greenhouse gas emissions reductions by 2050. An absolute target based on a 2010 base year
is most appropriate for Waterloo Region, and significant changes will be needed to support achievement
of an 80% target, including policy changes that will be needed in the near future.
Selection of a target at this time will allow us to work to build a climate action plan that reaches beyond
2020 and that can low-carbon future.
LƓƷƩƚķǒĭƷźƚƓ
As part of our work toward setting a long-term greenhouse gas emissions reduction target for Waterloo
Region, we are consulting and collecting feedback from stakeholders about a target of 80% below 2010
levels by the year 2050.
This report is intended to support these consultations with stakeholders across Waterloo Region on the
proposed target. It includes an overview of targets in relevant jurisdictions, the results of our first stage
of consultations, and a table of scenarios to help the reader imagine how much change would be
needed to achieve various kinds of reduction targets.
{ĻƷƷźƓŭ ğ ƌƚƓŭΏƷĻƩƒ ƷğƩŭĻƷ ŅƚƩ ğƷĻƩƌƚƚ wĻŭźƚƓ
In 2013, the councils of the Region of Waterloo and the cities of Cambridge, Kitchener, and Waterloo
-produced greenhouse gas
(GHG) emissions. Our ns by 6% below 2010 levels
by the year 2020. A Climate Action Plan for Waterloo Region provided a foundation for action from
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private, non-profit and municipal leaders to
toward that goal, a re-inventory took place in the last year using estimated 2015 emissions. Total GHG
emissions in Waterloo Region are estimated to have decreased by roughly 5.18% between 2010 and
2015, due to both local and provincial changes (including the phase-out of coal generation in the
electricity grid).
-term goals. While
there is still work to be done to meet our 2020 target, we are now beginning to think beyond 2020.
The next endeavor for the community is to set a long-term GHG reduction target. In the spring of 2017,
the councils of the three cities and the Region of Waterloo considered and supported reports that
proposed work toward a long term target. In keeping with this direction, we are engaging in a
community and stakeholder engagement process to establish a community greenhouse gas emission
reduction target beyond 2020, with the municipalities as collaborative partners.
The process for our long-term target-setting is as follows:
In November of 2017, the Management Committee of ClimateActionWR recommended a preferred
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community greenhouse gas emissions reduction target for Waterloo Region of 80% below 2010 levels by
the year 2050. It also identified conservative and aggressive targets of 50% and 100%, respectively, to be
considered alongside the preferred target. In so doing, the Management Committee considered the
information available in this report.
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The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), in a report reviewed by thousands of experts,
has set 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels as the minimum required to limit the damage of
climate change. To have a more than 50 percent chance of limiting warming to 1.5 degrees C, the
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United Nations Environment Programme emissions gap report indicates that total global carbon dioxide
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emissions need to reach net-zero by 2045-2050, and all greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions need to reach
net-zero by 2060-2080. For a likely chance of limiting warming to 2 degrees C, the same milestones
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would need to be met 15 to 20 years later.
In order to achieve these targets, 197 countries (excluding the United States) have committed to the
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Paris agreement on climate change, showing some commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
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IPCC
2
UNEP
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-produced are compensated for by an equivalent amount of greenhouse
gases that are removed from the atmosphere.
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World Resources Institute
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The Guardian
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Source: Carbonbrief
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For example, the European Union has proposed reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 80% below 1990
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levels by 2050. Germany has gone even further, setting a long-term strategy to approach net-zero
emissions by 2050.
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targets, as suggested by the graphic below.
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European Commission
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Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety (BMUB)
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Source:Climate action tracker
year, the federal government released a document called the Mid-Century Strategy report, in order to
to begin the conversation about what a long-term low-greenhouse gas emission s
In it, the federal government examines an approach that would reduce net emissions by 80% below
2005 levels in 2050.
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At the provincial level, Ontario has set a GHG emissions reduction target of 80% below 1990 levels by
2050.
The province is also a signatory to the Subnational Global Climate Leadership Memorandum of
Understanding (Under 2 MOU) that aims to limit global warming to less than 2°C, and which has a goal
of reducing emissions by 80 to 95% by 2050.
To achieve this target, the province has set intermediate targets for different years, as can be seen in
the graphic below.
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Source: Ontario climate change strategy
The provincial government has begun to use community-level targets as a scoring factor when
considering applications for provincial funding. In August of 2017, the Municipal GHG Challenge Fund
requirements
reduction plan tha
to expect that long-term community targets will continue to play a role in determining which
-related projects.
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Cities, towns, and regions in Canada have the jurisdiction to influence activities accounting for 44% of
our GHG emissions, according to a study by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM).
Based on the data they have available and the stage of their process, municipalities are using various
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base years for their targets with various timelines. Some, like Waterloo Region, have set short-term
targets using years up to 2020.
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Municipal target data from this section is based on
Partners in Climate Protection (PCP) program, which has been updated and maintained by David Roewade and
Stephanie Poirier at the Region of Waterloo.
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Reduction Targets
Municipality Prov
Short-Term Community Target
Delta BC 33% below 2007 levels by 2020
Vancouver BC
33% below 2007 levels by 2020
Toronto ON 30% below 1990 levels by 2020
Regional Municipality of Halifax NS
20% below 2002 levels by 2012
Hamilton ON 20% below 2006 levels by 2020
Calgary AB 20% below 2005 levels by 2020
Ottawa ON 20% below 1990 levels by 2012
Saskatoon SK 15% below 2014 levels by 2023
North Vancouver BC 15% below 2007 levels by 2020
London ON 15% below 1990 levels by 2020
Richmond Hill ON 6% below 2000 levels by 2009
Fredericton NB 6% below 2000 levels by 2010
Region of Waterloo ON 6% below 2010 levels by 2020
Niagara Region ON 6% below 2006 levels by 2016
Ajax ON 6% below 2005 levels by 2020
Durham Region ON 5% below 2007 levels by 2015
Prince George BC 2% below 2002 by 2012
33% below/capita 2007 levels
Surrey BC
by 2020
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Yet municipalities across Canada have also been setting long-term targets for emissions reductions.
Municipalities using 2030 or 2040 as a target date have reduction targets ranging from 10% to 43%.
Reduction Targets
Municipality Prov
Long-Term Community Target
Edmonton AB 35% below 2005 levels by 2035
Halton Hills ON
35% below/capita 2011 levels by 2030
Nelson BC 43% below 2007 levels by 2040
Niagara Region ON
10-15% below 2006 levels by 2030
Quebec City, QC 35.7% below 1990 levels by 2030
All but one Canadian municipality examined that is using a 2050 date has selected an 80% target.
Reduction Targets
Municipality Prov
Long-Term Community Target
Calgary AB 80% below 2005 levels by 2050
Delta BC
80% below 2007 level by 2050
North Vancouver BC 50% below 2007 levels by 2050
Surrey BC
80% below/capita 2007 levels by 2050
Vancouver BC 80% below 2007 levels by 2050
Durham Region ON 80% below 2007 levels by 2050
Hamilton ON 80% below 2006 levels by 2050
London ON 80% below 1990 levels by 2050
Peel Region ON 80% below 1990 levels by 2050
Toronto ON 80% below 1990 levels by 2050
Saskatoon SK 80% below 2014 levels by 2050
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Notably, all of the Ontario municipalities using a 2050 date have chosen 80% as their reduction target,
which is in keeping with the provincial 2050 target. This includes single-tier municipalities that are often
compared to Waterloo Region, such as London and Hamilton, as well as other regional governments like
Durham and Peel.
Reduction Targets
Municipality Prov
Long-Term Community Target
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Durham Region ON 80% below 2007 levels by 2050
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Hamilton ON 80% below 2006 levels by 2050
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London ON 80% below 1990 levels by 2050
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Peel Region ON 80% below 1990 levels by 2050
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Toronto ON 80% below 1990 levels by 2050
/ƚƒƒǒƓźƷǤ ĭƚƓƭǒƌƷğƷźƚƓ
In the summer of 2017, ClimateActionWR started a series of conversations with community members
across Waterloo Region. As we work toward setting a long-term greenhouse gas emissions reduction
target, we wanted to hear from a broad range of people across Waterloo Region, with various
perspectives on the environment and climate change.
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Durham Region
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Hamilton Community Climate Change Action Plan
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City of London community energy action plan
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Peel Climate Change strategy
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Toronto climate change action plan
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The consultation process involved four methods to start the conversation about our long-term emissions
reduction target:
ts and public venues across Waterloo Region
to speak to people where they were, beginning in July and ending in early November;
we ran an online survey from mid-September to early November;
a version of the online
late September to early November; and
paper forms were given to participants in various meetings and less formal settings in various
locations during September, October, and November.
Using these diverse methods, we heard from ЊͲБЌЉ ƦĻƚƦƌĻ between July and mid-November.
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Street Team 985
Online 487
Engage Region of Waterloo 101
Paper 257
Total ЊͲБЌЉ
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In-person consultation took place in all three cities, and in the two largest townships. A disproportionate
number of Street Team events took place in the City of Waterloo, due particularly to the high
representation of university students among our Street Team volunteers, and the difficulties of travel
for many who do not drive their own vehicles. Fortunately, attendees at events do not necessarily live in
the municipality where the event is taking place, so perspectives of those from various areas were
captured during the in-person consultations.
Event Name Event Date City/Township
Eco Summit 12-Jul-17 Waterloo
Open Streets 16-Jul-17 Waterloo
Campfire 19-Jul-17 Waterloo
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Ted Talk 20-Jul-17 Waterloo
Policy Hackathon 24-Jul-17 Waterloo
Uptown Waterloo Market 03-Aug-17 Waterloo
Conestoga Mall Booth 10-Aug-17 Waterloo
Open Tuesday 15-Aug-17 Waterloo
Campfire 16-Aug-17 Waterloo
Open Streets 20-Aug-17 Waterloo
Waterloo Uptown Market 24-Aug-17 Waterloo
Laurier Get Involved Fair 08-Sep-17 Waterloo
Hold The Line Festival 16-Sep-17 Woolwich
Sustainability Day 19-Sep-17 Waterloo
What YOUth Can Do 20-Sep-17 Waterloo
Green Energy Open Doors 22-Sep-17 Waterloo
St.Paul's Pow Wow 23-Sep-17 Waterloo
Get Involved Fair @ Conestoga College 27-Sep-17 Cambridge
Chamber BA5 Event 03-Oct-17 Kitchener
Sustainability at Home Hardware event 05-Oct-17 Kitchener
Neighbourhood association meeting 11-Oct-17 Kitchener
Conestoga Mall Booth 12-Oct-17 Kitchener
Wellbeing Waterloo Region meeting 12-Oct-17 Kitchener
Conestoga Mall Booth 13-Oct-17 Waterloo
2017 Business Expo 17-Oct-17 Kitchener
Kitchener's Urban Forest at Kitchener Public
18-Oct-17 Kitchener
Library
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WCDSB teacher training 20-Oct-17 Waterloo
University of Waterloo class 23-Oct-17 Kitchener
Cambridge Centre Mall 25-Oct-17 Cambridge
Nith Valley Ecoboosters meeting 25-Oct-17 Wilmot
Cambridge Idea Exchange 28-Oct-17 Cambridge
City of Waterloo all staff meetings 30-Oct-17 Waterloo
ECOLOO 07-Nov-17 Waterloo
Elmira Sugar Kings Game 12-Nov-17 Woolwich
While it was particularly difficult to se
methods aided with hearing from rural residents. Between in-person township events and those
reporting that they live in a township in our online survey, 145 people from the townships were
reached.
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Participants in the online and Engage Region of Waterloo consultations were initially asked to select one
of four descriptions that best fit their vision for the future of Waterloo Region.
The descriptions provided were intended to
were to allow participants to visualize the scale of change discussed, varied slightly between the two
options:
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Figure 1: Wording for Online Consultation
Figure 2: Wording for Engage Region of Waterloo
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tran
their desire for change.
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Overwhelmingly, community members chose ambitious emissions reduction targets for 2050.
Strikingly, 85% of people we consulted chose a target of 50% or more, and a majority of 53% chose a
target of 70% or more.
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Participants in the online and Engage Region of Waterloo versions of the consultation were also asked
why they thought it was important for Waterloo Region to take action on climate change.
These are a few selected quotes from the online version:
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Bonnie Cobb, North
Dumfries resident
Kelly Meissner, Woolwich resident
- Waterloo Region
needs to Anonymous Kitchener resident
This word cloud highlights the words used most often in response to this question across both the online
and Engage Region of Waterloo versions (responses as of November 1):
Respondents in all four methods were asked what steps we should be taking locally to achieve their
vision for Waterloo Region in 2050 and the target they selected. This information will be evaluated in
more detail at later stages of this process, as we work toward establishing plans to support a long-term
target that has been recommended and chosen.
In the interim, to provide a brief sense of the themes that emerged, this word cloud is the result of these
hundreds of comments across all four methods (responses as of November 1):
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The four methods of consultation used in Phase 1 of our long-term target setting consultations were
about starting conversations. They provided important and thoughtful data about what members of the
Waterloo Region community think when asked where we should be headed on climate change. This
conversation is tremendously valuable, but like all community consultations run by organizations and
governments, the responses reflect the perspective of those who chose to participate.
For a representative sample of public opinion on climate change, we can turn to a survey conducted in
May and June of 2017 by PMG, on behalf of the Region of Waterloo. This survey was conducted using
representative residents of Waterloo Region.
35% said the
This representative research supports what was found through the Phase 1 consultations: climate
change is a significant concern for people in Waterloo Region, who are not satisfied with the status quo
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in light of climate change. As seen in our four methods of consultation, as well as in the representative
survey conducted for the Region, community members across Waterloo Region support ambitious
action to prevent climate change.
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In developing a long-term community target for Waterloo
This means that we are setting a target first, and then working backwards to create detailed plans to
achieve that target.
approach. Because of the short timeframe to make a real change in emissions by 2020,
specific local actions were identified that could be completed in the following few years, and the 6% by
2020 target was selected on this basis. This included an additional 71,625 tonnes that would need to be
reduced through increased uptake of existing programs or new initiatives, which did not yet have
identified sources at the time the plan was approved in 2013.
-term target setting, for three reasons. First, given the
considerable time between now and 2050, this is an opportunity begin with the end in mind, and to
identify the kind of community we want and work to create it. Second, climate science shows us what
we need to do to avoid the most dire consequences of climate change. This means we have to make
significant reductions in our emissions by 2050, and a backcasting approach allows us to plan to achieve
the reductions that the science shows we need. Third, there are practical reasons to use a backcasting
approach when planning over such a long time period. Significant changes in technology, as well as
potential changes in the economy and public policies, will take place between now and 2050, and these
cannot be reliably predicted. Selecting a long-term target will allow for building shorter-term plans to
achieve measurable progress in smaller time increments, to facilitate plans that are responsive to
changes in conditions in the long time periods examined.
Thus, setting a long-term target is the first step, and will need to happen before a specific plan is built to
achieve it. As a result, we cannot base a potential long-term target on a specific list of changes to be
made by 2050. Our current focus is on the vision for the community in the year 2050, as well as on
relevant information on the decisions of other jurisdictions.
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For our long-term target, we propose using a 2010 base year, using the revised data from the recent re-
inventory. This will capture changes that have been made to date under the current plan, and use the
most robust data we have available.
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The base year used in different jurisdictions varies considerably, depending especially on what data
different levels of government have available. Community targets in the table above use base years
ranging from 1990 to 2014.
From our first Climate Action Plan, our best data is from 2010 and 2015, and 2010 captures the changes
that were made in those first five years. Some communities are using other base years, like 1990,
because they have data available from other years. That is not an option for Waterloo Region, since we
do not have data from 1990, and it is not possible to recover that information now. While we do not
know how much Waterloo Region was emitting in 1990, we know that provincial emissions were very
similar in 1990 and 2011, so we do not have reason to think that a 2010 baseline would make our target
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significantly easier or harder to achieve.
As with the first Climate Action Plan, we also recommend continuing to use an absolute target that is
based on emissions levels themselves, rather than more variable measures that compare emissions to
other factors like population or Gross Domestic Product. Using an absolute target focuses attention on
what needs to be reduced: total emissions.
For reference, based on our best data, the total emissions for the 2010 base year were as follows:
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Government of Ontario.
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AgricultureǾ
WasteǾ 45,774
213,559
ResidentialǾ
889,091
TransportationǾ
2,012,007
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1,393,617
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While we are beginning with the target itself, in order to aid discussions about possible long-term
targets, a table has been developed containing diffecommunity
members and decision-makers to think about the different scales of change that would be needed to
achieve various potential targets by 2050.
This exercise should not be mistaken for a proposed plan to achieve any given target. It is, rather, an
effort to paint a picture of what achieving such a target might look like, and how much change would be
required to achieve different targets.
In considering this table, it is also important to note that some changes will happen by 2050 on a larger
scale, such as provincially, nationally, or internationally, that are expected to reduce local emissions in
Waterloo Region. Examples include the already completed
grid between 2012 and 2016, and ongoing improvement in vehicle fuel efficiency standards. It is also
important to note that actions taken here may reduce greenhouse gas emissions in other communities,
and not be measurable here.
In the same vein, it should also be noted that the scenarios reflect combinations of changes at local,
provincial, federal, and international levels that interact with each other.
The table displayed in the next two pages shows scenarios of potential changes to energy sources and
their possible contribution to different 2050 targets:
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15
0% 30% 50% 80% 100%
Current Personal Personal cars, Personal cars All vehicles run
Transportation
track cars run on private sector and private on electricity or
(including electricity passenger sector vehicles hydrogen; no
increasing or vehicles, and run on electricity
fossil fuels.
ethanol in hydrogen. light trucks run or hydrogen.
gas on electricity or
supply). hydrogen.
Electricity Current Increased Increased use of Increased use of All electricity is
generation and track. use of renewables like renewables like produced with
renewables hydro and wind. hydro, wind, and renewable
consumption
like hydro. Reduced natural solar. Reduced sources. All
Use natural gas use. New natural gas use. buildings use
gas for buildings are Both new and the most
hydrogen more efficient. existing buildings efficient
production. are more technologies.
efficient No fossil fuels
(requires used for
retrofits). energy.
Space and Current Develop Develop solar Further develop Alternative
water heating solar water water heating, solar water heating
track.
(gas, fuel oil, heating and ground-source heating, ground-technologies
ground-heating and source heating are fully
propane)
source cooling, air-and cooling, air-developed and
heating and source heating source heating implemented.
and cooling, and and cooling, and No fossil fuels
cooling.
used for space
solar walls. solar walls.
and water
heating.
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100% emissions reduction would also require the elimination of all greenhouse gas emissions from animal
agriculture, which could be accomplished through some combination of increasing plant-based meals, offsets,
transporting manure for central processing into energy, etc.
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Waste, water Current Current Energy is Energy is No biosolids
and track track produced from produced from are sent to
waste using waste using landfill. All
wastewater
cogeneration. recyclable or
cogeneration.
Biosolids sent to compostable
landfill are materials are
reduced by half. diverted.
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In order to achieve an 80% reduction below 2010 levels by 2050, significant changes will have to be
made in Waterloo Region. Changes to our energy generation and use, such as those proposed in the
draft Community Energy Investment Strategy (CEIS) currently under consideration, will be a big part of
achieving significant reductions by 2050. We will also need to make changes soon to local policies on
things like transportation and land use planning to continue to support more efficient and healthy
communities. Specific initiatives will be identified as part of work to create our next community plan,
after the long-term target has been approved.
At the same time, lowering emissions comes with enormous potential benefits. Investment in local
energy brings economic benefits and adds resilience to our energy system. As noted in the draft CEIS,
currently only 13% of the $2.1 billion our community spends on energy stays in our community, but
proposed changes would keep more energy dollars here. According to the If 10 per cent of
our energy needs could be generated locally, about $210 million would remain in our community based
Source: Draft Community Energy Investment Strategy, p. 16
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Benefits beyond energy are also significant. Reduced emissions can improve air quality and health
outcomes. Building more liveable, walkable communities improves quality of life for our residents. By
pursuing an ambitious target, we would be showing leadership, and helping businesses and people see
would be doing our
part locally to solve the global problem of climate change.
Choosing a 2050 community emissions reduction target will allow us to move forward and build on the
progress we have made with our first Climate Action Plan.
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This report has been intended to support the second stage of consultations with stakeholders across
Waterloo Region on the proposed long-term emissions reduction target. It has included an overview of
targets in relevant jurisdictions, the results of our first stage of consultations, and an assessment of a
number of considerations in target-setting like backcasting, base years, and the scale of changes
needed.
This report will inform consideration of the proposed 2050 target of 80% below 2010 levels, and support
robust and informed discussion of the target and possible next steps to achieve it.
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ЊЉ ŷźƓŭƭ Ʒƚ YƓƚǞ ğĬƚǒƷ ğ \[ƚƓŭΏĻƩƒ ğƩŭĻƷ ŅƚƩ ğƷĻƩƌƚƚ wĻŭźƚƓ
ClimateActionWR is currently consulting with stakeholders as part of its work toward setting a
long-term greenhouse gas emissions reduction target for Waterloo Region. This document has
been created to support stakeholder consultations held December 2017 to March 2018. The key
points made here are covered in more detail in the longer companion document entitled {ĻƷƷźƓŭ
ğ ƌƚƓŭΏƷĻƩƒ ƷğƩŭĻƷʹ Cǒƌƌ ƩĻƦƚƩƷ ŅƚƩ tŷğƭĻ Ћ ƭƷğƉĻŷƚƌķĻƩ ĭƚƓƭǒƌƷğƷźƚƓƭ.
ΐȩĻ ğƩĻ ƦƩƚƦƚƭźƓŭ ğƓ ĻƒźƭƭźƚƓƭ ƩĻķǒĭƷźƚƓ ƷğƩŭĻƷ ƚŅ БЉі ĬĻƌƚǞ ƚǒƩ ЋЉЊЉ ƌĻǝĻƌƭͲ Ʒƚ ĬĻ
ƩĻğĭŷĻķ ĬǤ ЋЉЎЉ͵ We are currently consulting with key stakeholders and committees of
councils on this proposed target and plan to present a target to the councils of the three
cities and the Region in April/May of 2018.
Αȩ hǒƩ ĭƚƒƒǒƓźƷǤ ǞğƓƷƭ ğƓ ğƒĬźƷźƚǒƭ ƷğƩŭĻƷ ŅƚƩ ЋЉЎЉ͵ Between July and November, we
heard from more than 1800 people across Waterloo Region. When asked, 85% of people
chose a 2050 target of 50% or more, and a majority of 53% chose a target of 70% or
more.
Βȩ hƷŷĻƩ hƓƷğƩźƚ ĭƚƒƒǒƓźƷźĻƭ ƭĻƷƷźƓŭ ЋЉЎЉ ƷğƩŭĻƷƭ ğƩĻ ĭŷƚƚƭźƓŭ БЉі͵ Communities like
London, Durham, Peel, Hamilton, and Toronto have set 2050 targets, and all of them
have chosen 80% as their reduction target.
Γȩ БЉі ŅźƷƭ ĬƚƷŷ ƭĭźĻƓƷźŅźĭ ĭƚƓƭĻƓƭǒƭ ğƓķ ƦƩƚǝźƓĭźğƌͲ ŅĻķĻƩğƌͲ ğƓķ źƓƷĻƩƓğƷźƚƓğƌ ƷğƩŭĻƷƭ͵
The United Nations Environment Programme has found that global emissions must be
net-zero by 2060-2080 to prevent global temperatures from rising more than 1.5
degrees Celsius. The provincial government has an emissions reduction target of 80%
below 1990 levels by 2050, and the federal government has recently consulted on the
possibility of a similar target.
Δȩ\[ƚǞĻƩ ƚƩ ŷźŭŷĻƩ ƷğƩŭĻƷƭ ğƩĻ ƌĻƭƭ ğƦƦƩƚƦƩźğƷĻ͵ Two additional targets will be brought to
councils for their consideration alongside the 80% target to serve as conservative and
aggressive alternatives.
limit global temperature increases, and would leave us aiming much lower than
comparable Ontario communities. An aggressive target of 100% is likely impossible to
achieve by 2050. As a result, these two targets are not recommended by
ClimateActionWR.
Εȩ ЋЉЊЉ ƒğƉĻƭ ƷŷĻ ƒƚƭƷ ƭĻƓƭĻ ğƭ ğ ĬğƭĻ ǤĻğƩ ŅƚƩ ğƷĻƩƌƚƚ wĻŭźƚƓ͵ Different communities
use different base years for their targets, depending on what data they have available.
From our first Climate Action Plan, our best data is from 2010 and reinventory data from
2015. A 2010 baseline captures the changes that were made in those first five years.
Some communities are using other base years, like 1990, because they have data
available from other years. That is not an option for Waterloo Region, since we do not
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have data from 1990, and it is not possible to recover that information now. While we
do not know how much Waterloo Region was emitting in 1990, we know that provincial
emissions were very similar in 1990 and 2011, so we do not have reason to think that a
2010 baseline would make our target significantly easier or harder to achieve.
Ζȩŷźƭ ƷğƩŭĻƷ Ǟƚǒƌķ ĬĻ ğƓ ğĬƭƚƌǒƷĻ ƷğƩŭĻƷ͵ Like the target in our current plan, the
proposed target would be based on reducing the overall amount of greenhouse gasses
produced by our community. This means we would be working to lower our overall
emissions, even while our population and economic activity grows.
ΗȩĻ ğƩĻ ƭƷğƩƷźƓŭ ǞźƷŷ ğ ƷğƩŭĻƷͲ ğƓķ ǞĻ Ǟźƌƌ ƷŷĻƓ ǞƚƩƉ Ʒƚ ĭƩĻğƷĻ ƦƌğƓƭ Ʒƚ ƒĻĻƷ źƷ͵ We call
this a backcasting approach. Since we do not know how things might have changed or
what technologies might be available in, for example, 2040, we are beginning with
where we want to go, and will make a series of shorter-term plans to allow us to achieve
that vision.
Θȩ wĻğĭŷźƓŭ ğƓ ğƒĬźƷźƚǒƭ ƷğƩŭĻƷ Ǟźƌƌ ƩĻƨǒźƩĻ ƭźŭƓźŅźĭğƓƷ ĭŷğƓŭĻ źƓ ğƷĻƩƌƚƚ wĻŭźƚƓ
ĬĻƷǞĻĻƓ ƓƚǞ ğƓķ ЋЉЎЉ͵ Changes to our energy generation and use, such as those
proposed in the draft Community Energy Investment Strategy, currently under
consideration, will be a big part of achieving significant reductions by 2050. At the same
time, we will need to make changes to local policies on things like transportation and
land use planning to continue to support more efficient and healthy communities.
Specific initiatives will be identified as part of the work to create our next community
plan, after the long-term target has been approved.
ΐΏȩ wĻğĭŷźƓŭ ğƓ ğƒĬźƷźƚǒƭ ƷğƩŭĻƷ ĬƩźƓŭƭ ƒğƓǤ ƦƚƷĻƓƷźğƌ ĬĻƓĻŅźƷƭ ŅƚƩ ƚǒƩ ĭƚƒƒǒƓźƷǤ͵
Lowering emissions comes with enormous potential benefits. Investment in local energy
brings economic benefits and adds resiliency to our energy system. Reduced emissions
can improve air quality and health outcomes. Building more liveable, walkable
communities improves quality of life for our residents, and makes our area a more
attractive location for businesses. By pursuing an ambitious target, we would be
showing leadership, and helping businesses and people see Waterloo Region as a place
. And at the same time, we would be doing our part locally to
solve the global problem of climate change.
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