Vancouver on track to miss its 2030 climate targets, council hears
Global News
The city's goal is a 50-per cent reduction by 2030, but under a "best-case scenario" Vancouver would still fall short, hitting a 40-per cent cut.
Nearly five years after the City of Vancouver declared a climate emergency, projections show the municipality falling short of its climate target.
The update came in an annual report on the city’s efforts to tackle climate change presented to council on Wednesday.
“It’s obviously not a problem Vancouver is going to be solving alone, it’s a global problem that demands a global solution, but we do have an important role in that,” said Matt Horne, the city’s manager of climate mitigation.
According to the report, Vancouver has managed to cut its carbon emissions by 12 per cent from 2007 to 2007.
The city’s goal is a 50-per cent reduction by 2030, but Horne said under a “best-case scenario” Vancouver would still fall short, hitting a 40-per cent cut.
The city’s current trajectory also makes it “unlikely” to meet targets for three of the six “big moves” laid out in its Climate Emergency Action Plan, with two others also questionable.
The only one of the six Vancouver is currently on track to achieve is its goals to reduce carbon-intensive materials and construction practices, the report found.
Key targets on complete, walkable neighbourhoods, active transportation and transit and zero-emission space and water heating appear unlikely to be met, while zero-emission vehicle targets and restored coast and forest targets were listed as somewhat likely.