In This Episode:
Join David Arkell, John Pooley, Lysandra Naom, and Bob Hawkesworth on an episode all about Calgary's climate strategy. This episode features the details of a climate strategy in Calgary, Alberta, Canada while highlighting the gaps between strategy and execution. Check out our 360 Carbon Excellence Program.
Highlights
Declaration of a Climate Emergency: Calgary’s city council declared a climate emergency, signaling its commitment to prioritizing climate action. However, transitioning from declaration to implementation remains a significant challenge.Setting Targets Without Baselines: Calgary’s climate strategy aims to reduce carbon emissions by 60% by 2030 from 2005 levels, but missing baseline data from 2005 creates ambiguity in tracking progress.Challenges with Strategy Implementation: Despite approval of the climate strategy, initial implementation lacked urgency and did not align with the declared “emergency,” highlighting a gap between policy and actionable steps.Community and Infrastructure Focus: Bob emphasizes the need to integrate climate strategy across sectors, such as transportation and housing, while encouraging residents to significantly reduce their individual carbon footprints.City and Provincial Coordination: Transitioning Calgary to Net Zero requires close collaboration between the city council, provincial government, and local utility providers to facilitate renewable energy adoption and infrastructure development.Key Insights
Importance of Measurable Goals and Accountability: Climate strategies must be grounded in measurable goals and require regular progress reports to maintain public and governmental accountability.Challenge of Rapid Carbon Reduction: Meeting the 2030 target requires Calgary to reduce emissions by 1.3 million tons annually, necessitating large-scale, coordinated efforts across all sectors.Focus on Clean Electricity: Transitioning to a clean electricity grid is crucial, as a third of Calgary’s emissions come from electricity. Shifting from coal to renewables and natural gas will significantly aid emissions reduction.Importance of Urban Density and Transport Solutions: Reducing transportation emissions involves expanding public transit and active transportation networks, as well as creating dense, walkable neighborhoods to minimize car dependency.Adaptability of Climate Policy Over Time: Given the scale of infrastructure investments required, city policies must align with provincial and federal goals, while ensuring resilience against political changes over time.
