No 131 Posted by fw, March 8, 2011
Thanks to the Pembina Institute for the heads-up on Calgary’s greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation plans, and for its own excellent related research report, Options for reducing GHG emission in Calgary: Research Report, February 24, 2011, which was commissioned by the city.
The executive summary of the Pembina report follows, but first here is a brief introduction to the goals and expected outcomes of Calgary’s Community Greenhouse Gas Reduction (GHG) Plan:
In partnership with various community stakeholders, The City of Calgary is developing a strategic greenhouse gas plan that outlines the actions and roles needed to reduce emissions on a community-wide basis. The goal is to significantly reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in Calgary through:
The plan will result in the following:
The research phase of the plan is complete and The City will begin working with the community in Spring 2011 on drafting the plan. The plan will be completed by November 2011.
Reductions in GHG emissions can have multiple social, economic, and environmental benefits including increasing energy efficiency, economic development, increased economic resilience, improved air quality, lower ecological footprint, and reduced climate impacts
Greenhouse gas emissions in Calgary
Calgary’s community GHG emissions include the residential, commercial and industrial sectors. These emissions are mostly a result of fossil fuel consumption, and the primary local sources are:
The other main source of GHG emissions in Calgary comes from the decomposition of organic waste in our landfills, which releases methane, a potent greenhouse gas.
The sources of Calgary’s Community GHG emissions in 2005:
The trend in greenhouse gas emissions in Calgary suggests a direct correlation between community GHG emissions and population growth. Between 1990 and 2005, Calgary’s population increased from 692,885 to 956,078 – a growth rate of about 38 per cent, while GHG emissions have grown almost 32 per cent over this timeframe. This relationship is not surprising as more people translates into more vehicles traveling more kilometers, and more homes and businesses requiring energy for heating, lighting and machinery operation. In 2004, a decrease in emissions from 2003 was likely due to an unusually warm winter.
Pembina Institute’s Research Report
The report was compiled by the Pembina Institute based on the research presented in the appendix and from feedback from stakeholders. It identifies and assesses potential options for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in Calgary. It identifies areas for The City and other stakeholders to best focus and prioritize their resources individually and collaboratively in the development of Calgary’s Community Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Reduction Plan, cited above.
The report also quantifies the potential impact of various opportunities and concludes that a combination of regulations, price signals, incentives and education are needed to meet the targets set by The City. An extensive technical appendix offers in-depth examination of 14 opportunities, including consumer energy conservation, vehicle efficiency, combined heat and power, solar power and landfill gas capture.
The Executive Summary
The City of Calgary, with support from Alberta Environment and the Federation of Canadian Municipalities’ Green Municipal Fund, has commissioned this study to provide input to the development of a Community Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Reduction Plan and other related initiatives.
The development of a Community GHG Reduction Plan for Calgary is motivated by the 2009-2011 Council Priority 2.2, which directs Administration to:
“Develop a multi-stakeholder plan and implementation strategy to reduce community-wide GHG emissions in support of imagineCALGARY’s long-term community goals.”
Another motivator is the Calgary Climate Change Accord, in which The City committed to creating a plan to reduce GHG emissions2 and promote low-carbon living for the community. The targets outlined in the Calgary Climate Change Accord for reducing corporate GHG emissions are:
The Accord also commits The City to pursuing parallel GHG reduction strategies for the community.
The development of a Community GHG Reduction Plan also directly benefits the city in several other ways including improved air quality, economic development, and alignment with municipal, provincial and federal policy. Many of the approaches also have cost savings associated with them (e.g., through energy efficiency and conservation, public transit, walking or cycling, reduced infrastructure costs, idling reduction, or passive solar energy.)
Of course, if programs and policies are not designed or implemented well, efforts to reduce GHG emissions could also have certain disadvantages. Programs and policies that provide flexibility, competitiveness within the region and cost effectiveness were encouraged by some stakeholders.
Purpose of the study
The purpose of this study is to identify and assess potential options for reducing GHG emissions in Calgary in order to help identify areas for The City and other stakeholders to best focus and prioritize their resources individually and collaboratively.
Potential opportunities for reducing GHG emissions
The research began by identifying all of the opportunities for reducing urban GHG emissions that have been quantitatively shown to have a notable impact on city-wide emission levels. These opportunities can be grouped into eight different categories. While these categories provide an indication of the opportunities with the greatest potential, it is also necessary to integrate thinking and actions across the categories to maximize potential and avoid working at cross-purposes.
Summary of required actions
1. Provincial, federal, or municipal government (asterisk * indicates municipal responsibility)
2. Municipal or provincial government
3. Private sector and individuals (with respect to electricity and heat generation, energy efficiency and conservation, transportation mode shifting, land development, fuel switching and waste reduction)
This research report provides many different options for reducing GHG emissions in Calgary, but does not attempt to put these together into a strategy or plan. The purpose of this report is to provide a base of information from which further discussions can occur in order to develop a formal plan for reducing GHG emissions in Calgary. The next step in the community GHG planning process is just that: to develop a draft Community GHG Reduction Plan for The City of Calgary. A public consultation with the draft plan will occur prior to its submission to City Council
For the full story, read the report: Options for reducing GHG emission in Calgary: Research Report
Thanks again to the Pembina Institute for all that it does.