'It is all our responsibility:' EIA commits to be carbon neutral by 2040

EDMONTON — The Edmonton International Airport (EIA) claims it’s the first in the world to pledge its commitment to be carbon neutral by 2040.

On Tuesday the EIA signed onto The Climate Pledge started by Amazon and it involves more than 100 companies and organizations. The pledge requires regular reporting, carbon elimination and credible offsets.

“The Edmonton International Airport is showing important leadership in committing to the ambitious goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2040, and we look forward to working alongside them,” Sumegha Kumar, director of Canadian customer fulfillment operations at Amazon, said in a release.

The airport is one of three Canadian-based organizations to sign the pledge so far.

According to Myron Keehn, vice president of air service and business development at the EIA, 70 per cent of the airports emissions are related to electricity use. By taking the pledge, EIA intends to take increased actions to decarbonize and address the global issue of climate change.

Keehn told CTV News Edmonton, the airport is working on a large scale project that will lower their usage. In 2022, construction will begin on the world’s largest airport-based solar farm following regulatory approval. It’s expected to be complete by 2023.

“It’ll make the world a better place from an environmental perspective,” Keehn said.

“Climate change is a real and serious concern, and one of the biggest issues of our time,” Tom Ruth, president and CEO of the EIA, added.

“It is all our responsibility to acknowledge and address global sustainability for future generations.”

The farm will cover roughly 627 acres of land to generate clean, green energy. Keehn said the roughly $170-million investment will be the size of 300 football fields but instead it’ll be made up of solar panels.

“It’ll produce 200,000 mega watt hours a year of power. It’s the equivalent of taking 30,000 houses off the market,” he added.

Keehan told CTV News the shift in going green is “not a race” it’s about working together to create change.

“It’s everybody coming together and all taking off together,” he said. “Everyone’s at different stages, at different altitudes, but at the end of the day it’s about making the environment a cleaner place."

“Edmonton’s really progressive in our approach to do it with different businesses and with ecosystem partners across a gamete of opportunities, you know taxis, plastics replacements, bio jet fuel, solar farms, the living wall behind us and on and on.”

The airport says there will be no impact or fees to passengers to meet The Climate Pledge agreement. But, they will offer visitor options to voluntarily offset or help lower carbon emissions linked to their flights and activities in Edmonton.

To learn more about EIA’s dedication to sustainability visit their website.