ENVIRONMENT
How is Toronto faring with measures of environmental progress and sustainability?
Toronto is the world’s 12th most sustainable city:
> Ranking three pillars: People, Planet, and Profit, Toronto came in at 12th out of 50 global cities on overall sustainability.
> Toronto ranked 9th on the Planet pillar (including energy consumption, renewable energy, recycling, greenhouse gas emissions, natural disaster risks, and air and water qualities).
Half of Canada’s best farmland is in Ontario, much of it near Toronto, yet Ontario imports almost $20 billion worth of food annually:
> Half of Canada’s “Class 1” farmland—good for producing a range of field crops—is in southern Ontario, much of it in “near-urban” areas such as surrounding Toronto.
> Yet we import nearly double what we export— Ontario food imports are valued at $19.8 billion, and exports $10.8 billion.
> At any one time ,Toronto has about 3 days’ worth of food available. A border closure or key failure in US agriculture would leave our city unable to adequately feed its population.
How do Toronto’s green spaces contribute to residents’ wellbeing? Toronto has 445.67 hectares of publicly accessible green spaces per 100,000 people:
> Parks and green spaces are 4°C cooler, on average, than other areas of Toronto.
> The amount of airborne particulate matter removed annually by Toronto’s urban forest (the trees, shrubs, and plants that grow in parks, ravines, lawns, and at the sides of streets) is equivalent to the amount released by over 1 million automobiles each year.
> People who live in neighbourhoods with a higher density of trees report better health conditions. Just 10 more trees per city block improves health perception in ways that compare to being 7 years younger.