The City of Greater Sudbury declared a climate emergency 5 years ago. It's not on track to meet its goals

Five years ago the City of Greater Sudbury declared a climate emergency.

It's a day Naomi Grant remembers well.

"There was a climate action petition submitted on that same day and it had over 2,000 signatures from all across Greater Sudbury," said Grant, who chairs the Coalition for a Liveable Sudbury.

"There was the biggest turnout ever in council chambers."

More than 300 people of all ages filled the council chambers for the declaration. Some had to stand in the foyer because there wasn't enough space inside, Grant recalled.

Along with declaring a climate emergency, the city set a few goals to address climate change at a local level.

The first, and most significant, was for Sudbury to reach net zero emissions by 2050. That means the emissions the city produces through transportation and heating buildings, for example, are in balance with the emissions removed from the atmosphere by planting trees, or other methods.

To reach that end goal, the city also set two shorter term objectives. They were to reduce carbon emissions by 25 per cent by 2025, and a 55 per cent reduction by 2030.

According to a city report, there are indications the municipality is not on track to meet the 2025 goal.

"The sense in the community around climate action at the city right now is generally a feeling of disappointment," Grant said.

Grant says the city has done some important groundwork in the last five years, including the approval of a community energy and emissions plan – which set the city's greenhouse gas targets – and the implementation of a climate adaptation plan.

Staff reports to the city now include climate impact as a consideration. 

Stephen Monet, the city's manager of environmental planning initiatives, says the city did surpass expectations for greenhouse gas reductions in 2021. It was primarily due to a decrease of emissions during the lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic. But it still falls short of meeting that 2025 goal.

The city was projected to produce more than 1.6 million tonnes of carbon dioxide in 2021 – through municipal buildings and its fleet of vehicles – and produced just under 1.5 million tonnes instead.