If you walk in downtown Toronto these days, you’ll see a city that’s bustling and growing at dizzying proportions. Cranes can be seen from every corner, there’s points about the housing crisis on the radio, there’s grumbling at the coffee line-up for something on the prices; the clumsy recovery from COVID is underway. Toronto is also going through a remarkable transformation that’s focused on trying to address climate change.
Just last week, May 2023, Toronto Council considered two key climate reports, TransformTO 2022 and the Carbon Accountability Report.
The bit of background on this is…. that TransformTO, a climate action strategy that was unanimously approved by Toronto City Council in July 2017. TransformTO is a long-term plan that outlines targets and strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve public health, grow the economy – all while promoting social equity.
TARGETS, PLANS AND MEASURES
To pull this off, TransformTO set out targets and timelines including some specific actions, investments, and policies. The boldest target in all of this is to reduce Toronto’s greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) by 80% by 2050, compared to 1990 levels – the most assertivce goal in North America. To get there, there’s a host of policies, programs and investments to improve energy efficiency in buildings, promote active transportation, and transitioning to a low-carbon energy system.
And there’s good reason for some confidence in all of this. TransformTO stands as a managerial example that goes beyond targets and plans. There’s substance and action on the ground as well as some progress to show!! In 2020, the city exceeded its greenhouse gas reduction target of 30% below 1990 levels, achieving a reduction of 43%!! (The coincident impacts of COVID are noted in their reports.)
Toronto is also implementing innovative solutions in the context of TransitionTO. One example is the Enwave Deep Lake Water Cooling system – which we should all know a bit more about. This system uses cold water from Lake Ontario to cool buildings in downtown Toronto. The system reduces energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, while also providing cost savings to building owners.
Another innovative solution is the Enwave Sewer Heat Recovery system which captures heat from the wastewater flowing through Toronto’s sewers and uses it to heat and cool buildings. This technology is already been implemented in several buildings in downtown Toronto, including the Sony Centre for the Performing Arts and the Royal Conservatory of Music. By using waste heat that would otherwise go unused, the system reduces the energy needed to heat and cool buildings and this contributes to reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
These success stories help make the other more specific targets and actions more convincing. The incentives around funds for solar installations and net-zero building standards and the strategies to reduce transportation emissions by expanding cycling infrastructure and promoting the use of electric vehicles are in place with specifics rolling out in the coming years. There’s also a focus on plans to improve building efficiency through retrofits and new construction standards (called Toronto Green Standard 2021).
ACCOUNTABILITY
The plan has been developed with input from a range of stakeholders, including businesses, community groups, and experts in various fields. This collaborative approach has helped to build broad support for the plan and make sure that it is hopefully grounded in the realities of Toronto’s busy COVID recovery.
One key feature of TransformTO is its focus on accountability and transparency. The approach for reporting on progress toward emissions reduction targets includes regular public reports, as well as an online dashboard that provides up-to-date information on the city’s emissions and progress toward its targets. This may work toward some building of confidence – within the mix of regular issues hitting the city – and ensures that the city’s leadership is held accountable for its promises around progress.
There are some important international connections to all of this. Toronto is a member of the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group, the global network of cities addressing climate change. Toronto is also a signatory to the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy that commits to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase resilience to climate change. Toronto adopted the Global Protocol for Community-Scale Greenhouse Gas Emission Inventories (GPC), the official way to measure GHG emissions.
Recently, Toronto was recognized by the World Council on City Data (WCCD) with a Platinum certification for its data-driven approach to addressing climate change.
Toronto is (perhaps surprisingly) becoming a pacesetter for other Canadian cities that are also setting their plans in motion. Toronto is putting good public management practices into action, with a focus on accountability, actual measures and public reporting. They also are doing some public-facing advisory groups and community groups to select programs and investments that are effective and workable. You can see all of this anytime at the City’s website.
TransformTO just may be a showcase of effective municipal-level climate action. This is important with the world’s population increasingly living in cities. Cities, here in Canada and around the world, are having to take the lead in the fight against climate change. The city of Toronto put its gear on the table with bold targets, strong policies and programs, expert advice.
But this is just the beginning. As the city continues to work towards its net zero emissions target, it will face challenges and obstacles along the way. The transition will require significant investment and changes to the way we live, work, and enjoy leisure, not everyone will be on board. There will be requirements for continued innovation and collaboration, as well as a willingness to learn from small successes and the usual stuff of setbacks, delays, and costs. In the case of TransformTO, I think its fair to say that we can like what we see so far and look for ways to get involved (also on the City’s website).
In the end, the success of TransformTO will depend on the continued commitment and collaboration of the residents and businesses. While the city government has a critical role to play, each individual and organization also has a part to play in having confidence in the way forward when it comes to the large set of policy measures and investment actions that make up the climate plan. Its one of the times when sustained shared commitment may just be able to pay big dividends toward resilience, equity and sustainability.
So now we can walk around downtown, past the trendy espresso place and swaying cranes and imagine the great things going on below the streets to cool and heat the buildings, a future that may be possible with more bikes, less traffic, and bold new strategies for how we move, heat and cool our spaces, eat and how we enjoy our natural spaces. Get more details on this and look for ways to get involved at https://www.toronto.ca/services-payments/water-environment/environmentally-friendly-city-initiatives/transformto/
