Wednesday, October 02, 2019

Toronto declares climate emergency

City of Toronto Council put down the hammer and declared an emergency and plans to accelerate action to combat climate change. Reduction of greenhouse gas emissions is targeted to be net zero by 2050. Severe weather events and flooding have increased over time in the big smoke so the Toronto is joining hundreds of other cities around the world to acknowledge the crisis. The United Nations identifies that global CO2 emissions need to be net zero by 2050 to hold global warming to 1.5 degrees.

"We have joined cities around the world in declaring a global climate emergency and committing to take further action to tackle climate change. The threat of climate change is a major issue facing our city, and all cities. The declaration approved by Council today lays out what I believe are ambitious but realistic new targets to help focus our efforts when it comes to reducing Toronto's greenhouse gasses as quickly as possible." - Mayor John Tory

Key council priorities will be supported in the climate action including improving health, economy and social equity. Pushing energy efficiencies in homes and buildings will be some of the improvements the city hopes will improve the local economy. Investing in zero emission battery powered buses and cycling infrastructure will improve air quality.

"This month, the City is inviting residents to share their ideas on climate action and priorities for Toronto by attending a public meeting or completing an online survey. Input from residents will help to inform the next TransformTO Implementation Plan, for 2021 to 2023. The Plan will be presented to Council in the spring of 2020. The online survey will be available starting October 7 and public meetings begin October 8. More information about the City's TransformTO climate action strategy, links to the survey and public meeting details are available at http://www.toronto.ca/transformto."

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