Climate change and energy

On April 24, 2019, City Council declared a Climate Emergency for the purposes of naming, framing, and deepening our commitment to protecting our economy, our eco systems, and our community from climate change.

The declaration provides additional direction to staff for expanded work on the Climate Change Master Plan, Energy Evolution, and the future Climate Resiliency Plan.

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Invite the Climate Change and Resiliency team to speak to your community group or organization. All presentations are subject to audience size and team availability. Contact Emma Langham, Outreach and Communications Coordinator.  

The Climate Change Master Plan is the City’s overarching framework to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and respond to the current and future effects of climate change.

The plan aims to take unprecedented collective action to transition Ottawa into a clean, renewable and resilient city by 2050. City Council has adopted short, mid, and long-term greenhouse gas reduction targets based on 2012 levels:

• Reduce emissions from the community by:
  • 43 per cent by 2025
  • 68 per cent by 2030
  • 96 per cent by 2040
  • 100 per cent by 2050

• Reduce emissions from City operations by:
  • 30 per cent by 2025
  • 50 per cent by 2030
  • 100 per cent by 2040

Guiding Principles

The Climate Change Master Plan is guided by the following principles:

• Responsibility - everyone has a responsibility to manage energy consumption and to mitigate risks
• Collaboration – all levels of government, utilities, stakeholders, and the broader community must work together to effect change and develop joint solutions
• Municipal leadership – the City needs to take a lead role to ensure an integrated and comprehensive approach across the corporation and the community
• Coordination – all the City’s long-term plans need to be coordinated to ensure a strategic and harmonized approach
• Equity and inclusion – all decision-making processes must incorporate equity and inclusion considerations

Priority Actions

The Climate Change Master Plan identifies eight priority actions for the next five years (2020-2025):

1. Implement Energy Evolution
2. Undertake a climate vulnerability assessment and develop a climate resiliency strategy
3. Apply a climate lens to the new Official Plan and its supporting documents
4. Apply a climate lens to asset management and capital projects
5. Establish a carbon budget and accounting framework and explore the feasibility of including embodied carbon
6. Explore carbon sequestration methods and the role of green infrastructure
7. Encourage community action though education, incentives, support and advocacy to senior levels of government
8. Develop a governance framework to coordinate stakeholder efforts and mobilize the community

Reporting

Staff provide an annual status update on corporate and community greenhouse gas emissions, progress towards the targets and the eight priority actions to the Standing Committee on Environmental Protection, Water and Waste Management.

• 2023 Climate Change Master Plan Progress Report [ 1.754 MB ]
• 2021 Climate Change Master Plan status update
• 2020 Climate Change Master Plan status update

Staff will develop key performance indicators to further track progress being made to achieve Ottawa’s greenhouse gas reduction targets.

Climate Change Master Plan [ 588 KB ]

Every year the City tracks the amount of greenhouse gas emissions produced by activities within Ottawa's boundaries and from municipal operations. Everyday activities such as heating our homes, moving around the city and treating our solid waste and wastewater can all contribute to greenhouse gas emissions.

The City undertakes two types of greenhouse gas emission inventories:

• Community inventories – emissions associated with people who live within the city of Ottawa. Includes emissions from buildings, transportation, waste and agriculture.
• Corporate inventories – emissions associated with the City’s operations. Includes emissions from facilities, fleet, solid waste and wastewater treatment.

Community Emissions

2020 community greenhouse gas emissions by sector:

• Agriculture – 3 per cent
• Buildings – 46 per cent
• Transportation – 42 per cent
• Waste – 9 per cent

2020 community greenhouse gas emissions by source:

• Agriculture – 3 per cent
• Electricity – 4 per cent
• Natural gas – 38 per cent
• Propane – 2 per cent
• Heating oil – 1 per cent
• Wood – 1 per cent
• Gasoline – 21 per cent
• Diesel – 12 per cent
• Aviation fuel – 9 per cent
• Waste – 9 per cent

Corporate emissions

2020 corporate greenhouse gas emissions by sector:

• Wastewater treatment – 6 per cent
• Facilities – 22 per cent
• Transit fleet – 44 per cent
• Municipal fleet – 13 per cent
• Police fleet – 2 per cent
• Solid waste – 13 per cent

2020 corporate greenhouse gas emissions by source:

• Wastewater treatment – 6 per cent
• Electricity – 4 per cent
• Natural gas – 18 per cent
• Gasoline – 8 per cent
• Diesel – 51 per cent
• Solid waste – 13 per cent

Key findings from the 2020 emissions inventories

Community emissions:

• Community emissions decreased 15 per cent between 2012 and 2020. In order to meet Ottawa’s short and mid-term targets, the community will need to reduce emissions by five to six per cent a year over the next five to ten years.
• The COVID-19 pandemic played a significant role in reducing emissions, including a 30 per cent drop in gasoline use between 2019 and 2020.
• Roughly 90 per cent of community emissions come from the building and transportation sectors, with the other 10 per cent coming from waste and agriculture sectors.
• Natural gas consumption was the largest source of community emissions, accounting for 38 per cent. Gasoline contributed 21 per cent and diesel 12 per cent.

Corporate emissions:

• Corporate emissions decreased 43 per cent between 2012 and 2020. This puts the City ahead of its short-term target to reduce emissions 30 per cent below 2012 baseline by 2025. The decrease is mostly due to landfill gas capture efficiencies at the Trail Road Waste Facility.
• Transit fleet was the largest emitting sector, accounting for 44 per cent of total corporate emissions.
• Diesel consumption was the largest source of emissions, accounting for 51 per cent of total corporate emissions.

Read more about Ottawa’s greenhouse gas emission inventories:

• 2020 Community and Corporate Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Inventories
• 2019 Community and Corporate Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Inventories 
• 2017 and 2018 Community and Corporate Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Inventories [ 603 KB ]

For more information, please contact climatechange@ottawa.ca