City looks to update climate plan

The City of Prince George is seeking a grant to update the city’s 10-year-old energy and greenhouse gas management plan.

On Monday, city council gave the go ahead to apply for the Federation of Canadian Municipalities’ funding. The goal of the plan is to establish new greenhouse gas inventories, reduction targets and action items, as well as set milestones and update the reporting structure, according to a report by city general manager of engineering and public works Dave Dyer.

“This plan update will focus on climate change mitigation, ways the city can help to reduce the severity of climate change. This mainly addresses actions which can reduce energy, through various sources, such as buildings or transportation, both corporately and in the community,” Dyer wrote in his report. “This is different than climate change adaptation which focuses on ways to better deal with the inevitable change in our climate and become more resilient.”

The city’s initial greenhouse gas reduction targets were set in 2005, based on the Kyoto Protocol, which prompted the adoption of the current Energy and Greenhouse Gas Management Plan in 2007. An updated greenhouse gas inventory and list of action items was adopted in 2011.

In 2007, the city aimed to reduce its own greenhouse gas emissions by 10.4 per cent below 2002 levels by 2012. The city’s operations emitted the equivalent of 7,080 tonnes of carbon dioxide in 2002. A 2009 greenhouse gas inventory put the city’s emissions at the equivalent of 9,490 tonnes of carbon dioxide, despite 500 tonnes per year in mitigated emissions.

Since then, Canada has ratified the Paris Accord – committing to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions nationally and provincially by 80 per cent by 2050.

The cost of the new plan is estimated at $171,100, with up to 80 per cent of those costs eligible for FCM grants.