On Tuesday, October 19th, the City’s Standing Committee on Environmental Protection, Water and Waste Management received a status update on the Climate Change Master Plan and heard that greenhouse gas emissions generated across Ottawa decreased by 15 per cent between 2012 and 2020.
A portion of the 2020 decrease is likely temporary as it was related to the COVID-19 pandemic and included a 30-per-cent drop in gasoline use from the prior year. To meet Council-approved targets to reduce emissions by 43 per cent by 2025 and 68 per cent by 2030, the community will need to decrease emissions by five to six per cent each year over the next five to ten years.
The City’s corporate emissions decreased 43 per cent between 2012 and 2020, mainly due to efficiencies at the Trail Waste Facility. This puts the City ahead of its short-term target to reduce emissions by 30 per cent below 2012 levels by 2025.
The City made progress on all eight of its climate change priorities since the last update in January 2021. The Committee heard about how the City is including climate considerations in major policies, a plan to transition to a fully zero-emission bus fleet by 2036 and a loan program launching this fall to help homeowners pay for home energy improvements.
