A draft plan to address city council’s declaration of a climate emergency has politicians at odds.
Civic administration prepared the draft Climate Emergency Action Plan (CEAP) to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, build resilience to climate change, and include every Londoner in the effort.
“Achieving these milestones is going to require many of us to take a look at how we live, work, play, and build our communities,” Councillor Elizabeth Peloza told colleagues on the Strategic Priorities and Policy Committee.
The first set of milestones come in 2030— just eight years away.
They include:
- 30-50 per cent reduction of in-city automobile trips (550/yr in 2019)
- 50 per cent of km travelled on London roads in zero-emission vehicles (0.5% in 2021)
- 50 per cent less fossil fuel use by buildings
- 60 per cent waste diversion from landfill (33% in 2021)
- 40 per cent less embodied emissions from newly constructed buildings
- 25 per cent more carbon removal from air via nature and technology
But councillors on the committee sparred over how urgent and assertive the CEAP needs to be.
“This plan relies a lot on people making personal investments that can be very large,” said Coun. Michael van Holst.
Coun. Shawn Lewis stressed a need to hear from Londoners about the plan.
“The key is to have a lot more public consultation coming out of this before we start ratifying some of the goals in this plan,” Lewis said.
But other committee members questioned if the plan could be more aggressive.
Coun. Stephen Turner offered a long list of municipal policy changes that he believes would accelerate the community’s move to net-zero.
“I hope that I hear some more ambitious and courageous comments from my colleagues,” Turner lamented. “Right now it just seems to be, ‘let’s leave it in everybody’s hands and we’ll see what happens’.
The city engineer said it is all but impossible to put a price tag on the plan given its complexity and the relative uncertainty about how factors will evolve over the 28-year timeline.
Specific funding requests focused on four-year timelines will be included in upcoming multi-year budgets.
The committee recommended council receive the draft CEAP report and hold a public participation meeting at city hall on April 5.
