Planning and Environment Committee
Comité de l'urbanisme et de l'environnement
and Council / et au Conseil
28 September 2009 / le 28 septembre
2009
Submitted
by/Soumis par : Nancy
Schepers, Deputy City Manager/Directrice municipale adjointe,
Infrastructure Services and Community Sustainability/Services
d’infrastructure et Viabilité des collectivités
Contact
Person/Personne-ressource : David Miller, Acting Manager/Gestionnaire par
intérim, Environmental Sustainability/Durabilité de l’environnement, Community
Sustainability/Services de Viabilité et des collectivités
(613)
580-2424 21447, David.Miller@ottawa.ca
SUBJECT:
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OBJET :
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RÉVISION DE L’OBJECTIF MUNICIPAL DE RÉDUCTION
DES GAZ À EFFET DE SERRE |
That Planning and Environment Committee recommend that
Council approve:
1.
An interim corporate Greenhouse Gas reduction target of 30 per cent
below 1990 levels by 2012.
2.
The establishment of a long-term target through the Environmental
Strategy Refresh Process.
Que le Comité de l’urbanisme et de
l’environnement recommande au Conseil d’approuver :
1.
Un
objectif municipal temporaire de réduction des gaz à effet de serre visant leur
réduction, d’ici 2012, de trente pour cent par rapport aux niveaux de 1990.
2. L’établissement
d’un objectif à long terme par l’intermédiaire du processus de renouvellement
de la stratégie environnementale.
There is scientific consensus that climate change is due to anthropogenic emissions. The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a leading scientific body for the assessment of climate change, stated that "Changes in the atmosphere, the oceans and glaciers and ice caps now show unequivocally that the world is warming due to human activities. (2007)." There is also agreement regarding the quickening and threatening pace of human-induced climate change.
With the changing climate already evident and with projections of a future climate in Ottawa that is increasingly warmer and wetter it is imperative that cities control their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Municipal governments have an important contribution to make to climate protection. Up to half of Canada’s GHG emissions are under the direct or indirect control or influence of municipal governments.
The City of Ottawa committed to reduce greenhouse gases and to act on climate change when it joined The Partners for Climate Protection program through the Federation of Canadian Municipalities. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions was one of six strategic commitments of the Environmental Strategy (ACS2003-DEV-POL-0048) that was approved by council in 2003.
Municipalities must report their greenhouse gas emissions to the Federation of Canadian Municipalities in two ways. The first is as a corporate entity where the emissions reported relate to the managing of the administration of the City such as buildings (e.g. pools, administration, community centres, arena's), fleet (e.g. snow plows, by-law vehicles), waste (e.g. waste water, sewage, waste from its own operations). The second is as a community whereby emissions that are reported are from outside the corporate functions such as buildings (residential, commercial, institutional, industrial), waste (residential, commercial, intuitional, industrial) and transportation (vehicles, transit -including OC Transpo and any alternative fuel/technology usage).
Mandatory reporting on GHG emissions in Canada has begun in many sectors. The City through its inventories and planning is prepared for the eventuality of mandatory reporting and mandatory reductions.
In the council approved Air Quality and Climate Change Management Plan (ACS2004-DEV-POL-0063) GHG emission reduction targets for corporate emissions were set at 20 per cent below 1990 levels by 2007 and for community emissions were set at 20 per cent below 1990 levels by 2012. The 2005 inventory on GHG emissions (ACS2007-PTE-ECO-0015) carried out on 2004 data concluded that the City of Ottawa's corporate GHG emissions had decreased by 24 per cent below 1990 levels, surpassing the corporate goal of 20 per cent below 1990 levels by 2007, and that the City of Ottawa's community emissions were found to be five per cent above 1990 levels. As stated above, the community target was based on a target year of 2012.
This report recommends an interim corporate emissions target of an additional six per cent reduction in GHG emission reductions by 2012 bringing the total GHG emission reductions of the corporation to 30 per cent below 1990 levels by 2012. This interim target would allow for the harmonization of the end dates for the current targets and provides for continuous improvement pending the completion of the Environmental Strategy Refresh. A longer-term target will be established through the Environmental Strategy Refresh for both corporate and the community.
The City of Ottawa as a corporate entity emitted 75,131 tonnes in 2004. The largest source of emissions was the buildings sector (53 per cent) and the transportation sector (28 per cent). This represented a 24-per cent greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions decrease below 1990 levels from the City of Ottawa, surpassing the corporate goal of 20 per cent below 1990 levels by 2007. Initiatives that led to this reduction included:
- alternative fuel mix for fleet vehicles;
- corporate building energy reductions; and
- using wastewater treatment plant waste to generate electricity.
To reach a GHG emissions reduction target of 30 per cent below 1990 levels, an additional six per cent in reductions are needed.
This additional reduction would be attained by the implementation of two major programs. The first is the Green Municipal Fleet Plan (ACS2009-COS-FLT-0001) which would reduce over 3,000 tonnes of GHG emissions and have the potential to create significant operational savings. The second is the approved Energy Reduction Program (ACS2008-BTS-RPM-0022) that would implement $2 million per year in energy savings technology and result in an estimated 6,000 to 7,000 tonnes GHG reduction by 2012.
Consultation has taken place on this report with Fleet Services Branch, Solid Waste Operations Branch, and Parks, Building and Grounds Operations and Maintenance Branch as well as the Environmental Working Group. It has also been presented to the Environmental Advisory Committee and they were supportive of the interim target.
There are no legal/risk management implications associated with this report.
There are no direct budget implications involved in setting the revised target and monitoring progress. Financial implications exist for the individual program initiatives noted in the report that will contribute to meeting this target and these will be subject to the regular budget approval process for the individual initiatives.
N/A
Environmental Sustainability will continue to track and report on progress towards this target.