Bloomberg Philanthropies: Cities and Climate Change in Canada

Canadian cities provide an excellent laboratory for demonstrations and pilot projects that can be developed and deployed nationwide.
Oct 16, 2015 10:15 AM ET

Originally posted on Bloomberg.org
 

  • Canadian cities provide an excellent laboratory for demonstrations and pilot projects that can be developed and deployed nationwide. 
  • Toronto was the first city in the world to set a greenhouse gas emissions target
  • Over the 2008–2012 period, municipalities in Canada have invested $2.3 billion in over 800 emission reduction measures, achieving ongoing annual emission reductions of 1.8 million tons. 
  • Energy supply varies dramatically across regions, though as a whole, urban areas are significantly more ecient and have lower per capita emissions than their rural counterparts regardless of energy supply makeup.
  • Rapid progress can happen in Canada when climate change response policy becomes a priority of the Canadian federal and provincial government and is accompanied by support for local action plans.