Vancouver lags behind on 2030 climate targets

The City of Vancouver wants to develop new plans to guide the city’s current and future climate change efforts. The goal of reducing carbon emissions by 50 percent by 2030 is unlikely to be achievable.

In February 2023, employees raised the alarm over concerns about the council’s targets to reduce emissions by 50 percent by 2030 and be carbon neutral by 2050.

More than a year later, the message is still the same.

In a report to be presented to council on July 23, staff requested permission to move forward with developing new plans that include “achievable” goals and actions that “take into account the city’s role and jurisdiction when it comes to climate action.”

The city currently has two plans guiding its climate actions: the Climate Emergency Action Plan (CEAP) and the Climate Change Adaptation Strategy (CCAS).

The CEAP, adopted in 2020, is a five-year plan that aims to reduce carbon emissions by 50 percent by 2030. The CCAS was updated to a two-year plan in early 2024 with the aim of increasing Vancouver’s preparedness and resilience in the face of climate change.

“With both plans expiring in 2025, there is a need to develop new action plans to guide the city’s climate work through 2030 and beyond,” the report said, noting that the goal would be to submit both draft plans to council by the third quarter of 2025.

“If we do that, we will create a clear, prioritized roadmap for climate action in the city for the second half of this decade.”

The concerns raised in the report build on what Matt Horne, the city’s manager of climate mitigation, accountability and education, told council in February 2023 when he outlined a number of areas around climate change that needed attention.

Horne stressed the need for policy and zoning changes, infrastructure upgrades and building code updates. He said not enough people were switching to public transit and that more electric vehicles and chargers and heat pump conversions were needed.

The redistribution of road space for pedestrians and cyclists also had to be continued more quickly.

Natural gas in homes, buildings

To make significant progress in reducing emissions, Horne said the city’s work must continue to focus on the use of natural gas in homes and buildings — which is responsible for 55 per cent of Vancouver’s carbon pollution — and on gas-powered vehicles, which generate 40 per cent of emissions.

In 2022, the council approved requirements for carbon emissions limits for large office and retail properties, but these will not come into force until 2027. Detached homes are also a high priority for regulation.

At the same time, the city has made progress in the fight against climate change, reducing carbon pollution across the community by 17 percent since 2007. This reduction has occurred at the same time that the city’s population and economy have grown by approximately 15 and 60 percent, respectively.

“This ‘decoupling’ of carbon emissions and growth is a major achievement,” the report said.

According to staff, the reductions were the result of “meaningful improvements” in energy efficiency and fuel switching in buildings, increased use of walking, cycling and public transportation, and a growing shift to electric vehicles.

“These changes have been achieved largely through city leadership in spatial planning and promoting regulation and infrastructure investment, along with actions taken by residents, businesses, nonprofits, and other levels of government,” the report said.

Heat dome

The need for more of this kind of work arises as the impacts of climate change become more urgent.

In recent years, Vancouver has faced several severe climate-related events, including the 2021 heat wave that led to more than 600 deaths in British Columbia, 117 of them in the city itself.

That same year, an atmospheric river caused severe flooding in the Fraser Valley, making all major highways and rail lines connecting Vancouver to the rest of Canada impassable.

Vancouver residents have also been affected by the smoke from various wildfires, especially those with health problems.

“These climate events together highlight the need to take greater adaptation action now and to continue planning to ensure the city’s infrastructure and regulations are based on the expected future climate,” the report said, stressing the need to prioritize equity in the city’s climate work.

“The impacts of climate change do not affect everyone equally, which is why it is crucial that communities that are disproportionately affected are included and prioritized when it comes to climate adaptation.”

‘Safe and efficient public transport’

For example, measures such as improving cooling in buildings should focus on areas housing vulnerable populations, the report said.

“There is also a need to develop measures that reduce carbon pollution so that they also promote social equity – measures such as improving access to safe and efficient public transport,” the report said.

“By adopting an equity-based approach, we ensure that the proposed actions will work for all members of the community.”

The report states that the new climate plans will focus on the measures with the greatest impact.

“Actions related to local food and food choice are not proposed for inclusion, given the lack of connection to climate mitigation and the lack of urban levers to have a material impact on carbon pollution, respectively,” the report said.

“Food waste will not be included in climate plans because it produces low levels of carbon pollution compared to transport and buildings.”

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