Group urging city council to emphasize climate change in 2019 budget

Local environmentalists are planning to ask city councillors at a meeting on Wednesday to put a high priority on projects to combat climate change, in the 2019 city budget — even if it means a tax increase.

The group For Our Grandchildren, which is concerned with mitigating climate change, states in a release that it wants council to start projects such as composting kitchen organics and converting all city vehicles — including transit buses — to electric, hybrid or compressed natural gas.

One way they suggest funding those projects would be to set aside a fund — perhaps made up of casino revenues.

Another way, they suggest in the release, is to charge what the group calls a Climate Emergency Fee.

They point out in the release that it’s already been done in Boulder, Colorado, where they charge different fees according to building type (ie: residential, industrial or commercial).

For Our Grandchildren estimates that if the city charged

such a fee in Peterborough, it would represent a tax increase of about 0.8 per cent — and would raise about $1.3 million annually for projects that help combat climate change.

That 0.8 per cent increase would mean about $32 more in taxes per household, the release states.

City council may be “forgiven” by citizens for charging citizens $32 more annually, the release states, to allow the city to help curb climate change.

For Our Grandchildren will be making its pitch to council on Wednesday evening at a public meeting at City Hall.

All people will be invited to come speak to councillors about their municipal spending priorities. The idea is for council to collect feedback from citizens before sitting down to budget talks, which begin on Monday and are scheduled to continue every evening that week.

Councillors will be considering a 2019 draft budget document, prepared by city staff, that proposes a 2.5 per cent tax increase, or about $98 more on an average residential property owner’s tax bill.

The draft budget does not include any special fee to fund projects that help reduce carbon emissions.

Councillors are free to consider any additions to the budget or deletions during budget talks.

For Our Grandchildren will be expected to argue before council that there’s an urgent need to fund projects that mitigate climate change.

Their release cites the October report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, “a consensus view from hundreds of scientists who are researching the effects of climate breakdown.”

That report states we have 11 years to cut carbon emissions by 45 per cent — and that we must reach 100 per cent reduction by 2050.

That means a four per cent reduction in carbon emissions must take place annually, the release states, starting in 2019.

If that’s not done, the release states, “runaway climate breakdown may leave the earth uninhabitable by humans for more than 10,000 years.”

Since 96 per cent of carbon emissions come from private homes, the release states, it makes sense for the city to do its part now and cut emissions by four per cent.

The budget meeting begins at 6 p.m. in council chambers on Wednesday.