Ontario Construction News staff writer
Staff presented Kingston council with an information report last week, outlining measures that reduced corporate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from 2011-2018, set a baseline for 2022 GHG reduction goals, and provided an update on work underway – including reducing GHG emissions at special events.
“Climate action requires a city-wide response. With so many moving pieces, we thought it important to provide a comprehensive status report,” says Julie Salter-Keane, manager with the city’s Climate Leadership Division.
The city’s 2018 GHG emissions inventory figure – 22,192 tonnes of CO2 – is especially important because it sets the baseline for the City’s corporate 2022 GHG reduction goal.
“City staff will be working to reduce this amount by 15 per cent, by 2022 with a long-term goal to achieve carbon neutrality by 2040,” says Salter-Keane. She refers to it as “an ambitious but achievable target.”
Read the City of Kingston Corporate Greenhouse Gas Inventory 2018 Update.
Energy-use at city facilities down six per cent despite growth
The City of Kingston’s 2018 GHG emissions from municipal operations and services were 12 per cent below 2011 levels, due to the phase out of coal electricity by the Province, and City efforts to reduce energy consumption at facilities. “The City was able to reduce corporate energy consumption by 6 per cent from 2011 to 2018, even while the number of facilities grew,” explains Salter-Keane.
While taking steps to reduce its corporate GHG emission goals, the City is also supporting the community’s climate actions.
The report includes an update on initiatives, including:
- the development of a net-zero community improvement program;
- a climate-change management strategy that will include mitigation and adaptation measures;
- an energy retrofit program for homeowners; and
- steps the City is taking to encourage more sustainable events, moving forward. Staff will work with event organizers in the community to measure GHG emissions associated with events, including those associated with travel, energy-use, waste generation and other event inputs.
“Even as the city works to deal with immediate issues facing our community, we’re not losing sight of our strategic goals, and the steps needed to achieve them,” concludes Salter-Keane.