Thu., December 10, 2020, CBC
The City of Montreal is aiming to reduce greenhouse gas emissions over the next decade by prioritizing public transit, making buildings more energy efficient and encouraging the shift to electric vehicles.
The climate plan, presented Thursday, outlines Mayor Valérie Plante's long-term vision for the city, less than a year before the next municipal election.
In addition to the commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, the 122-page document also promises measures to mitigate the effects of climate change, including a commitment to plant 500,000 more trees.
Plante said the climate crisis was a top priority before the pandemic, and that the plan serves as a blueprint for a recovery that "will be green and inclusive."
"Our plan will also enable Montreal to meet its commitments and maintain its leadership role in the fight against climate change," Plante said.
Emissions from vehicles a major obstacle
The biggest hurdle facing the city in meeting its emission target is gas-guzzling vehicles, which account for 30 per cent of the city's total emissions.
To that end, the city aims to expand public transit usage with the coming light-rail network and more residential developments near Metro stations. It also plans to designate more parking spaces for zero-emission vehicles.
In all, there are 46 commitments in the document geared toward cutting emissions levels by 55 per cent by 2030, compared with 1990 levels.
The plan was welcomed by environmental groups, some of whom were consulted by the Plante administration.
The David Suzuki Foundation Quebec, which helped develop the emissions modelling for the city, said the plan is "in line with climate science and Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change recommendations."
The Quebec government put forward its own climate plan month, centred on getting more people to use electric vehicles. The plan was not well received by environmentalists, who said it wouldn't do enough to curb emissions.
Montréal unveils an ambitious plan to reach its climate goals
NEWS PROVIDED BY Ville de Montréal - Cabinet de la mairesse et du comité exécutif
MONTRÉAL, Dec. 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ - Ville de Montréal is pleased to unveil its Climate Plan 2020-2030 today. Consisting of 46 firm actions, the plan will allow Montréal to achieve the ambitious climate targets it has set for itself in the area of ecological transition, i.e., a reduction of 55 per cent of greenhouse gases (GHG) in the community between now and 2030 (compared with 1990), as well as carbon neutrality for its operations between now and 2040 and for the community in 2050.
"Before the health crisis hit, the climate crisis was at the heart of our concerns. In September 2019, Montréal witnessed a historic march that brought together 500,000 people demanding concrete action to fight climate change. The COVID-19 pandemic turned everything upside down. But the year 2020 also highlighted the importance of having a resilient city on a human scale. A city that offers quality green spaces to its population. The Climate Plan we are presenting will enable Montréal to improve the quality of life of its population in the short, medium and long term through a recovery that we hope will be green and inclusive. Our plan will also enable Montréal to meet its commitments and maintain its leadership role in the fight against climate change," declared Valérie Plante, mayor of Montréal.
The Climate Plan 2020-2030 consists of 46 actions, 16 of which are key actions, grouped into five areas of intervention targeting the mobilization of the Montréal community, urban planning and development, buildings, the exemplarity of the city, and governance. Among the actions that will have the greatest impact are:
Planting, maintaining, and protecting 500,000 trees, in priority areas susceptible to heat waves;
Encouraging sustainable mobility in neighbourhoods and future urban developments, such as the Hippodrome site;
Favouring and increasing the percentage of electric vehicles in the city centre;
Encouraging greening and stimulating the densification of the city by converting to open-air parking;
Adapting by-laws and supporting programs to increase the energy efficiency and resilience of all types of buildings;
Improving the energy performance of large buildings through a system of rating and disclosure of their energy consumption and GHG emissions;
Transforming 100 per cent of municipal building stock operations to zero carbon;
Imposing a climate test on all the city's decisions to limit their GHG emission impact and maximize their adaptation to climate change;
Dedicating funding for adapting to climate change, from 10 to 15 per cent of the budget of Ville de Montréal's Ten-year Capital Expenditure Program.
To monitor the evolution of the plan and the achievement of its targets, the city will publish an annual report on the progress made on each of the various actions that it contains.
For further details, visit montreal.ca
SOURCE Ville de Montréal - Cabinet de la m
NEWS PROVIDED BY Ville de Montréal - Cabinet de la mairesse et du comité exécutif
MONTRÉAL, Dec. 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ - Ville de Montréal is pleased to unveil its Climate Plan 2020-2030 today. Consisting of 46 firm actions, the plan will allow Montréal to achieve the ambitious climate targets it has set for itself in the area of ecological transition, i.e., a reduction of 55 per cent of greenhouse gases (GHG) in the community between now and 2030 (compared with 1990), as well as carbon neutrality for its operations between now and 2040 and for the community in 2050.
"Before the health crisis hit, the climate crisis was at the heart of our concerns. In September 2019, Montréal witnessed a historic march that brought together 500,000 people demanding concrete action to fight climate change. The COVID-19 pandemic turned everything upside down. But the year 2020 also highlighted the importance of having a resilient city on a human scale. A city that offers quality green spaces to its population. The Climate Plan we are presenting will enable Montréal to improve the quality of life of its population in the short, medium and long term through a recovery that we hope will be green and inclusive. Our plan will also enable Montréal to meet its commitments and maintain its leadership role in the fight against climate change," declared Valérie Plante, mayor of Montréal.
The Climate Plan 2020-2030 consists of 46 actions, 16 of which are key actions, grouped into five areas of intervention targeting the mobilization of the Montréal community, urban planning and development, buildings, the exemplarity of the city, and governance. Among the actions that will have the greatest impact are:
Planting, maintaining, and protecting 500,000 trees, in priority areas susceptible to heat waves;
Encouraging sustainable mobility in neighbourhoods and future urban developments, such as the Hippodrome site;
Favouring and increasing the percentage of electric vehicles in the city centre;
Encouraging greening and stimulating the densification of the city by converting to open-air parking;
Adapting by-laws and supporting programs to increase the energy efficiency and resilience of all types of buildings;
Improving the energy performance of large buildings through a system of rating and disclosure of their energy consumption and GHG emissions;
Transforming 100 per cent of municipal building stock operations to zero carbon;
Imposing a climate test on all the city's decisions to limit their GHG emission impact and maximize their adaptation to climate change;
Dedicating funding for adapting to climate change, from 10 to 15 per cent of the budget of Ville de Montréal's Ten-year Capital Expenditure Program.
To monitor the evolution of the plan and the achievement of its targets, the city will publish an annual report on the progress made on each of the various actions that it contains.
For further details, visit montreal.ca
SOURCE Ville de Montréal - Cabinet de la m
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