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What causes climate change? Increased levels of greenhouse gases – or GHGs – in the Earth’s atmosphere are causing climate change. GHGs include naturally-occurring gases such as water vapour, carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide as well as human-made substances such as refrigerants and solvents. Just as a greenhouse traps sunlight to keep plants warm during the winter, GHGs in the atmosphere prevent heat from the sun from escaping back into space. This is referred to as “the greenhouse effect.” While GHGs make our planet warm enough to sustain life, human activity is drastically increasing these gases in the Earth’s atmosphere, de-stabilizing global weather patterns. Ancient glaciers are melting and sea levels are rising. We are experiencing more frequent and more severe storms, fires, droughts and floods that are altering entire ecosystems and damaging people’s homes and livelihoods around the world. Human activities that accelerate the rise in GHGs include burning fossil fuels to produce electricity, heat our buildings, and power our cars, along with deforestation and intensive agriculture. For more information about the climate change problem see these links: 350.org Canada’s Action on Climate Change David Suzuki Foundation Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Ontario Ministry of Environment and Climate Change World Wildlife Fund Canada How is climate change affecting Toronto? The 2011 City of Toronto Future Weather and Climate Driver study and Clean Air Partnership Study discuss how climate change will affect weather patterns in Toronto in the future. The reports show that we will continue to see milder winters overall, have more frequent and intense precipitation, and experience more extreme weather events in general. We can already see new trends in weather. More intense and longer summer heat waves put vulnerable populations at risk. Toronto Public Health notes numerous health issues brought about by climate change that are associated with extreme heat, poor air quality, food and water contamination, infectious diseases borne by insects, ticks and rodents, injury and illness arising from flooding, and even adverse effects on mental health. In response, Toronto Public Health is supporting both a heat alert and response program and will be initiating Extreme Cold Weather Alerts in 2014. In addition to more extremes of heat and cold, more frequent, heavy rainfalls have poured into the sewer systems causing local flooding. Cleaning up after storms has become increasingly costly for homeowners and for the City. For example, damage caused by the July 2013 rain storm was estimated at $65 million. The same year, the ice storm in December destroyed power lines and left more than 300,000 people without electricity – some for an extended period – while temperatures dipped to minus 20C. The estimated cost of damages from this storm was $106 million. We are also witnessing a greater number of invasive species, like the emerald ash borer, which are upseting local ecological systems. Previously unable to survive the Toronto winter, the emerald ash borer is now thriving in Toronto and destroying mature ash trees – a common species of shade tree. The loss of mature trees increases the heat load in the city and reduces property values. Graph: 2011 Toronto GHG Emissions 12% 13% 38% Electricity 37% Natural Gas Transportation Waste What generates greenhouse gas emissions in Toronto? In Toronto, most of our GHG emissions come from four sources – from fossil fuels burned in cars and trucks (38%); natural gas used to heat our buildings (37%); electricity generation (13%); and from landfill gas and transportation emissions associated with waste management (12%). We also cause GHG emissions to be released elsewhere when we purchase and consume products such as food, clothing, cars, electronics or other goods produced in other places. Does Toronto have greenhouse gas reduction targets? In 2007, Toronto City Council unanimously approved ambitious greenhouse gas reduction targets: a 6% reduction by 2012 (the Kyoto target); 30% reduction by 2020; and an 80% reduction by 2050, all compared to the amount of greenhouse gases produced by the City in 1990. The City established these targets based on agreement in the scientific community that reductions of this level will be required to stop dangerous climate change. But meeting these targets is a very tall order, given how quickly Toronto’s population is growing and how rapidly development is being built. Is Toronto meeting its targets? Toronto has exceeded its Kyoto target of a 6% reduction: GHG emissions are 16% lower than they were in 1990 – despite major growth in the City during this time period. This amazing achievement is the result of strong conservation efforts, improved fuel and appliance efficiency standards, increased waste diversion, and, most notably, an enormous reduction in greenhouse gas and air pollution thanks to the Province of Ontario’s phase out of coal-fired electricity generation. Coal phase-out has substantially “decarbonized the electricity grid” in Ontario by taking the dirtiest electricity offline. Our 16% reduction brings us more than half-way to our 2020 target, but achieving another overall 14% reduction within the next few years will require an intensive effort. [Bar One] What should we do to reduce GHG emissions in Toronto? We can deploy a number of key strategies to address climate change and cut emissions: Retrofit buildings to improve energy efficiency. Many buildings in Toronto use far more energy than is necessary due to aging or inefficient equipment, poor operation and upkeep, or poor building design. A concerted effort to reduce the amount of energy wasted in Toronto’s building stock is the cheapest and fastest way to reduce GHGs. Doing so also creates energy cost savings for building owners and residents. Conserving energy in this sector has enormous potential, so much so that it could reduce or delay the need for expensive new infrastructure such as electricity generation plants and pipeline extensions. Build new transportation infrastructure. We need more co-ordinated, accessible, and affordable transportation options so that fewer people will need to drive to work, school and shopping. Bus lines, subways, light rapid transit (LRT), and GO train service should be rolled out in a co-ordinated way across the region, so we can seamlessly get to all the places we need to go. We also need to build more pedestrian and cycling infrastructure like wide sidewalks, segregated bike lanes, and safe intersection designs based on the principle of Complete Streets. Support transportation behaviour change. Once new options are in place, financial incentives, public awareness campaigns, and supportive policies will need to be developed to encourage new transportation behaviours such as car-pooling, switching from car to public transit, cycling and walking, or working from home. We may even need to encourage people to reconsider their lifestyle choices with respect to housing, and to choose to live in more compact neighbourhoods closer to schools, offices and amenities. Embrace electric vehicles. We need to support the use of low emission vehicles by, for example, building electric vehicle charging infrastructure. Using EVs will reduce local emissions caused by conventional cars. Reduce waste to a minimum. Recycling and green waste collection should be ramped up to ensure that our waste is handled in a way that minimizes methane emissions and/or creates new resources, such as high-quality soil conditioner. In particular, we must focus on reducing waste in the commercial and industrial sectors. Take advantage of local renewable energy sources. With coal no longer in use for electricity generation in Ontario, the amount of carbon emissions associated with electricity is much lower than it used to be. However, we still have to minimize electricity use in order to reduce emissions from natural gas-fired generation plants, and, eventually, to create room in our electricity system to support new uses, such as electric cars. We can contribute to this effort by using large urban roof spaces for photovoltaic energy installations. We can also consider replacing natural gas water and space heating by using heat pump technology that draws heating and cooling from underground or from the air outside the building. Engage the community. We can harness the power of the community to develop new ideas to combat climate change. We need to leverage all the intelligence, passion and ingenuity our community has to offer to respond to the challenge of global warming and deliver solutions that have multiple benefits including improvements to our health, job creation and business opportunities, and improved quality of life as well as reduced greenhouse gas emissions. [Bar two] What is the City of Toronto doing to address climate change? In 2007, the City of Toronto created the Climate Change, Clean Air & Sustainable Energy Action Plan, which outlines ways that the City of Toronto and its residents, businesses and communities are taking action to cut greenhouse gas emissions, improve air quality and create a sustainable energy future. In 2009, the City released its sustainable energy strategy, The Power to Live Green. These plans have been the foundation of numerous City initiatives such as: The Live Green Toronto program to encourage Torontonians to adopt more environmentally-friendly lifestyles and reduce energy consumption at home, work and on the road. Achieving a more than 50% waste diversion rate whereby methane-producing organics are removed from the waste stream. The Better Buildings Partnership, which encourages energy conservation in the built environment, contributing to GHG reductions of 560,000 tonnes. The Toronto Green Standard, which requires sustainable site and building design for all new development. Methane capture at landfills where methane is converted to electricity. The Toronto-Central Smart Commute program to encourage employees and employers to use lowemission transportation options. The Home Energy Loan Program to provide low-interest financing for home energy improvements. The Toronto Renewable Energy Office to support the installation of renewable energy systems in cityowned buildings. A community energy planning process to look for productive energy strategies at the neighbourhood level. Inclusion of green standards in the new taxi licensing by-law.