Coquitlam’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are going down despite more people moving to the city.
That’s the word from the municipality’s environmental staff who, today, Nov. 27, presented the third phase of the draft Climate Action Plan at Coquitlam’s Strategic Priorities Standing Committee.
Caresse Selk, senior environment manager, said according to recent GHG modelling, Coquitlam’s population grew by about 40,000 between 2007 and 2021; however, community-wide emissions dropped by 14 per cent while corporate GHGs (i.e., generated at civic facilities and by city vehicles) went down 21 per cent over the same time period.
That was done through, among other things:
- taking fewer trips by vehicle
- using SkyTrain, public transit and e-Bikes
- densifying in transit-oriented areas
- implementing the Energy Step Code with new buildings
- encouraging the use of electric vehicles
And those emission trends will keep coming down, Ryan Voon, Coquitlam’s climate and energy manager, told the committee.
In their report, which was heard without Mayor Richard Stewart and Coun. Craig Hodge present and which Coun. Dennis Marsden immediately moved to an in-camera meeting for legal and financial reasons, Selk and Voon proposed five focus areas for council to consider, as well as 67 actions to follow the city’s Environmental Sustainability Plan that council adopted in 2022.
The latter plan aims to cut the municipality’s GHG by 45 per cent by 2030 (over 2007 levels) and be carbon neutral by 2050.
The Climate Action Plan is listed as an “A” priority for the city in its 2024 Business Plan; the final document is expected to come before council next spring to address future impacts on climate change, like wildfires, atmospheric rivers and extreme heat.
In essence, the Climate Action Plan serves as a roadmap to cutting emissions and fostering a healthy community, said Jamie Boan, Coquitlam’s general manager of engineering and public works.
The five focus areas laid out in Phase 3 of the Climate Action Plan are:
- supporting active and low-carbon transportation options
- by creating people-first streets and compact communities, updating roadway design guidelines and supporting electric vehicle use
- advancing construction of low-emission, climate-resilient buildings
- by encouraging climate-friendly construction practices, like the reuse and recycling of building materials, and looking at district energy systems
- encouraging climate-friendly and resilient building retrofits
- by supporting residents and building owners in making their buildings low-emission, efficient, healthy and comfortable
- boosting healthy and resilient ecosystems
- by creating the Urban Forest Management Strategy, as well as the planned Natural Asset Management Plan and Biodiversity Strategy, and working with First Nations
- demonstrating climate leadership
- by transitioning to low-carbon civic facilities and vehicle fleets
Selk split the 67 recommendations in the Climate Action Plan into 25 short-, 13 medium- and four long-term measures; 25 are ongoing actions.
According to the Canadian Climate Institute, Canada will see $25 billion in climate-related losses by 2025; that number will rise to $78 billion to $101 billion a year by 2050, it warned.
The agency also said that every $1 invested in climate action today will translate to up to $15 in future savings.
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