The international community, including Canada, has agreed to take action to limit the increase of global average temperature by no more than 2°C, to stay within the “safe” upper limit of global heating. This means achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emission globally by 2050. Fortunately, municipalities like Port Hope are well positioned to take leadership on reducing local greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, as well as ensuring communities are protected from unavoidable climate impacts such as flooding, forest fires and extreme heat. Taking action on climate change is an ideal opportunity to work on improving our community and the strategies we decide to prioritize should be those that come with a wide range of social, economic and health co-benefits, while minimizing trade-offs such as making life less affordable or losing our community’s sense of cultural identity.
A climate action plan is a detailed and strategic framework for measuring, planning, and reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and related climatic impacts. Municipalities design and utilize climate action plans as customized roadmaps for making informed decisions and understanding where and how to achieve the largest and most cost-effective emissions reductions. Climate action plans, at a minimum, include an inventory of existing emissions, reduction goals or targets, and analyzed and prioritized reduction actions. Ideally, a climate action plan also includes an implementation strategy that identifies required resources and funding mechanisms.
The Partners for Climate Protection Program
The Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) has developed the Partners for Climate Protection (PCP) Program to guide municipal governments towards reducing GHG emissions. As a background, the International Committee on Local Environmental Issues (ICLEI) formed the Cities for Climate Protection Program (CCP) in 1993, and the FCM formed the "20% Club" in 1995(Port Hope joined the 20% club in 1997). ICLEI's CCP Programs and FCM's 20% club merged in 1998 to form PCP initiative in Canada.
Over 200 municipalities from across Canada, representing 50% of Canada's population, have joined the PCP program. The PCP program defines a process for municipal governments to quantify their GHG emissions and then to develop and implement action plans that can achieve emissions reductions.
| The PCP program consists of five milestones |
| For each Corporate and Community, as listed below: |
| Conduct a baseline emission inventory and forecast |
| Corporate Status: completed. Community Status: completed. |
| Establish GHG reduction targets |
| Corporate Status: completed. Community Status: completed. |
| Develop a local action plan outlining action plan to reduce energy use and greenhouse gas emissions |
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Corporate Status: completed. Community Status: completed. |
| Establish a program to implement action items that will reduce GHG emissions |
| Corporate Status: ongoing. Community Status: ongoing. |
| Continue to monitor, verify, and report GHG reduction achievements and amend the action plan accordingly to reflect new strategies. |
| Corporate Status: ongoing. Community Status: ongoing. |
Summary: the Municipality has completed both Corporate and Community Milestones 1, 2, & 3, and continue to work through Milestones 4 and 5.
This plan outlines corporate-focused actions to reduce GHG emissions within our municipal operations and buildings to align with global, federal, and provincial climate goals and limit municipal effects on the community.
This plan outlines a community-led, government-supported strategy to reduce GHG emissions within the community at large to align with global, federal, and provincial climate goals, and to move toward a more sustainable future.
Corporate Climate Action Plan |
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The Municipality’s 2010 Corporate GHG inventory, along with agreed-upon reduction targets, was a tool for realizing emissions reductions. Municipal governments are in direct or indirect control of almost half of Canada’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Municipalities are capable of achieving significant reductions in their GHG inventories since many actions that can reduce energy use and emissions are within the powers of Municipal Council and staff. This section presents the components for the 2010 Corporate Climate Action Plan. The objective and purpose of this Corporate Action Plan is first presented, followed by sections on “Data Collection” and management of the Corporate GHG inventories. Finally, the GHG reduction initiatives and action items that comprise the plan are presented, along with a decision matrix for prioritizing the proposed action items; The 2010 Corporate Action Plan is structured in a hierarchy of:
The action plan is developed to guide the Municipality along the path to achieving its energy and GHG reduction targets. 1.1 Plan Objectives and PurposeThis plan :
1.2 Data Collection Lessons learned from the data collection for the 2010 GHG InventoryTo report the Municipality’s Corporate GHG emissions in future years, the Municipality will need to gather and summarize energy use data from all of its facilities/offices, streetlights, water and sewage utilities, and also collect information on Corporate waste generation. It is important that the Municipality plans this process carefully to minimize the reporting burden, reduce the risk of errors that might occur while compiling data, and ensure that all departments are collecting information on an efficient and consistent basis. 1.3 Corporate Initiatives and Action ItemsThree (3) major subject areas that the Municipality planned to target to enable the reduction of energy use and GHG emissions under the Corporate sector are listed below. 1.1 Energy Efficiency in Civic Buildings Proposed initiatives to improve the energy efficiency of civic buildings included:
1.2 Mobile Fleet EfficiencyThe Municipality operated approximately 100 pieces of equipment in 2018 including a mix of about 45 gasoline and diesel on-road vehicles, and 54 units of non-road vehicles and special purpose equipment including ATVs, tractors, trailers and other machinery. In 2008,[the year for which data was gathered for the 2010 Corporate Climate Action Plan]this use accounted for 16% of the Municipality’s energy consumption and about 22% of its GHG emissions. Proposed plan initiatives to reduce carbon-intensive fuel consumption and GHG emissions from this sector included:
1.3 Municipal Operations and Utility ServicesUtility services including; water, sewage, streetlights accounted for 37% of the corporate energy consumption in 2008 and resulted in 35% of the Municipality’s GHG emissions. Proposed plan initiatives to improve the energy efficiency and reduce GHGs included:
For a copy of the full 2010 Climate Action Plan or if you have questions please email us. |
Community Climate Action Plan |
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Port Hope’s Community Climate Action Plan (CCAP) has been developed to keep the place we live, work, and play safe and welcoming for generations to come. Human activity around the world—namely, the burning of fossil fuels—is the primary driver accelerating the rise in global temperature. Luckily, Port Hope has not yet experienced the level of climate impacts that other parts of Canada and the world are already facing. However, left unabated, human caused climate change will bring more frequent extreme weather events and intensifying negative impacts closer and closer to home—this requires us to take urgent action. Port Hope’s GHG targets are as follows:
In addition to the above GHG targets, Port Hope’s CCAP Vision Statement describes what the community wants to achieve across both of our wards through the implementation of this plan.
The 17 strategies in Port Hope’s CCAP were developed based on extensive community input and best practices in GHG mitigation. The actions outline a pathway towards net-zero GHG emissions and if implemented can result in significant cost savings, as well as numerous co-benefits. Successful implementation of the actions in this plan will require broad community involvement and a strong governance and oversight structure, implementation plan, and monitoring and review framework.
Residential, Commercial and Institutional BuildingsTo reduce building energy consumption, energy costs and GHG emissions by promoting best practices in low carbon buildings and energy solutions, and through improving energy efficiency and adopting renewable energy among existing and new buildings.
TransportationReduce private vehicle demand, single passenger trips and total vehicle kilometers travelled through increased public transit, carpooling programs, carsharing and rideshare services and encouraging active transportation such as cycling, walking, and skating.
Community Design and Land-Use PlanningTo prioritize higher density, compact, mixed-use development, infill development and brownfield redevelopment to prevent urban sprawl, protect prime agricultural land, and create more accessible, walkable and healthier communities • Strategy #9: Develop Higher Density, Mixed-Use Development and Complete Communities Agriculture and Local Food SystemsTo develop strategies that protect farmland from urban sprawl, support the advancement of sustainable agriculture practices and promote community awareness and education on local farming and food growing initiatives.
Environmental StewardshipTo preserve Port Hope’s natural spaces through the protection and improvement of existing ecosystems and by promoting greater community awareness and connection to nature.
Waste and WaterReduce waste generation and increase waste diversion from the land landfill, increase the efficiency of water usage, and establish innovative ways to create a local circular economy.
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