THUNDER BAY – The City of Thunder Bay has received the first annual report card measuring progress on its ambitious net zero climate strategy, qualifying for a passing grade by at least one measure.
Sixty-six per cent of actions outlined in the strategy’s five-year implementation plan are in progress or complete, according to an update presented to council Monday, a year after councillors unanimously approved the plan.
City staff touted that progress while emphasizing the need for bolder action to confront a worsening climate crisis.
The net zero strategy sets out a path for the community to reduce its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 90 per cent by 2050, in line with Canada’s commitments under the Paris Agreement.
Of the immediate goals identified in the city’s 2021-2025 implementation plan, two are complete and four are in progress, while three have not been started.
Of the strategy’s 38 total goals leading up to 2050, four are considered complete, 21 are in progress, and. 13 have not been started
Achievements so far include approval of a new zoning bylaw promoting density and active transportation; development of a green bin composting program, projected to remove over 5,000 tons in CO2e emissions each year; and the start of work on a strategy to electrify the city’s public transit fleet.
The net zero strategy commits the city to electrifying its public transit fleet by 2035.
The city is also at work on projects including a study on a potential home retrofit program, and developing a “climate lens” tool that would incorporate information about climate impacts into city decision-making.
Goals not yet started include assigning a full-time staff person to facilitate implementation of the strategy, assessing financial tools to support implementation, and establishing a bike share program.
The city should be encouraged by the significant progress in meeting several major goals, said sustainability coordinator Summer Stevenson.
However, she cautioned it’s still not meeting the scale of the challenge.
“Despite a great deal of work taking place across the corporation to implement the net zero strategy, it’s important to acknowledge that our current rate of action is just not fast enough,” she said.
Stevenson pointed to the sixth assessment report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which indicated carbon emissions must peak by 2025 to meet the 1.5 C global warming target scientists have suggested as a rough upper limit to avert the most catastrophic impacts of climate change.
Under current policies, the world is headed to more than double that target, the report found.
The city’s net zero strategy sets out ambitious targets like retrofitting most local buildings by 2030, making all vehicle sales electric by 2040, moving water and home heating off of fossil fuels by 2040, and locating 90 per cent of new development inside targeted intensification areas.
The strategy is estimated to cost $5.1 billion through 2050 to implement, though the city projected its actions would bring economic benefits overall in the long term.
The strategy did not determine how costs would be divided between various levels of government, businesses, and residents.
Due to a lag in data availability, emissions inventories measuring the impact of net-zero actions won’t begin until 2023.
That process will collect data including kWh distributed by Synergy North, cubic metres of natural gas distributed by Enbridge Gas, amounts of fuel consumed locally, and solid waste and compost figures.
Council will receive an annual update on progress to meet the strategy’s goals, while the implementation plan will be updated every five years.
