Toronto to step up date of carbon neutrality

Tory says city can’t think it’s immune from B.C. wreckage

As British Columbia suffers climate-related devastation, the city of Toronto is poised to move its target date for becoming carbon neutral ahead by a decade, to 2040.

A city staff report released Thursday proposes strategies primarily aimed at getting Toronto to an initial 2030 target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions to levels 65 per cent lower than emissions created in 1990.

Potential actions include a city rebate for purchasers of electric vehicles, continued conversion of Toronto’s bus fleet to electric power, promotion of buildings converting from natural gas heat to electric heat pumps, and a list of requested actions from the provincial and federal governments.

“Toronto must first be on the correct trajectory for achieving its 2030 city council adopted goal of 65 per cent emissions reduction from 1990 levels,” says the report going to a city committee next week and city council next month.

“Without aligning our action and implementation to that steeper trajectory, net zero by 2040 or 2050 will be out of reach.”

While Toronto’s greenhouse gas emissions are declining every year, with no changes the city would not hit even its current 2050 target for carbon neutrality.

“Data shows that acting incrementally will not be enough to put us on the net zero trajectory,” where the release of climate change-inducing pollutants in Toronto does not exceed the amount removed or offset, the report states.

The current proposals are not going to dramatically change life for Torontonians. Some are accelerations of existing city initiatives. They include:

■ Establishing a “carbon budget” to help the city closely track climate actions against annual emission limits, allowing for remedial action to fill any “gaps in action”;

■ Establishing voluntary emissions targets for homes and other buildings that will eventually become mandatory, with reporting requirements;

■ Increasing access to “low carbon transportation options” such as walking, biking and public transit, with options to “incentivize electric vehicle adoption and disencentivize the use of carbon-polluting gasoline and diesel vehicles”;

■ Boosting opportunities for residents, organizations and businesses to generate renewable energy and help “decarbonize” the power grid.

Mayor John Tory told a news conference that Torontonians can’t watch the devastating floods and landslides in B.C. and think Toronto won’t also suffer from climate change.

He noted basement flooding is a growing problem and that wild storms could see parts of Toronto submerged.

Coun. Mike Layton, who before entering politics worked on climate-change issues at Environmental Defence, said in an interview that Toronto needs to move more aggressively to help the world avoid climate catastrophe.

“The alarm bells are ringing all around us and if there is a moment to start steering the ship in the right direction, it is now,” Layton said.