City report sets goal of net-zero greenhouse emissions by 2050

The city of London should set a target to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions across the city by 2050, according to a staff report coming to a council committee Monday. 

The report, made public Wednesday, calls on the city to take a number of steps to reach what staff admit is an aggressive emissions reduction goal, one that if approved by council would put London "at the leading edge" of cities taking steps to fight climate change.

The report stems from April's resolution by council to declare a climate emergency. 

To reach the net zero reduction target, the report lays out a series of short- and long-term measures. 

They include:

• Launching a climate emergency action plan for the city. 
• Developing a climate emergency screening tool, which can be applied across multiple city departments, everything from building design manuals to new bylaws.  
• Creating a new climate emergency section on the city's website to inform Londoners about climate change and what they can do to combat it. 
• Pushing senior governments for action on climate change.  
• Reviewing all city projects, including new roads and buildings, through the lens of the climate emergency action plan.
• Fast tracking the urban forest strategy.
• Creating tools to encourage green buildings, including the use of solar panels and green roofs. 
• Using the climate change emergency evaluation tool across multiple service areas. For example, the report calls for all information presented to council standing committees to ensure that climate issues, where appropriate, are addressed in each report. 

The report's summary warns that London faces serious effects from climate change, including increases in floods, more extreme weather and the spread of diseases such as lyme disease and West Nile virus. 

"These impacts will only get worse if strong collective actions to curb greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to the changes already occurring are not taken immediately," the report said.

John Fleming, London's head of planning, co-authored the report along with Kelly Scherr, the head of environmental and engineering services. Fleming said climate change is certain to affect Londoners "in real ways" in the coming years, and the city needs a plan to address it. 

"This should be a concern to everyone in London," he said. "Life as usual won't work." 

The measures outlined in the report are part of a plan to bring London in line with global efforts to stop, or at least slow, warming caused by greenhouse gas emissions. The city staff report cites the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change call to hold the rise of global temperatures at 1.5 C above pre-industrial levels. 

The report points to some successes London has had in reducing greenhouse gas emissions in recent years. For example, London's three-year rolling average emissions in 2018 were 13 per cent below 1990 levels. 

The three largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions, according to the report, are personal vehicles (30 per cent); single-family homes (19 per cent); and local industry (14 per cent). 

The report doesn't spell out the costs of adopting the climate change measures. Also, the steps outlined in the report will have to be approved by the same council that opted to move ahead with only three of five legs of the Bus Rapid Transit plan. 

The report will be presented at Monday's meeting of council sitting as the city's strategic priorities and policy committee. 

You can read the full report below: