Climate Change and Air Quality

flooding

Learn how the City of Burlington is taking steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and prepare for the effects of climate change in our community.

Climate Emergency Declaration

On April 23, 2019, Burlington City Council declared a climate emergency for the purposes of:

Deepening our commitment to protecting our economy, environment and community from climate change; and
Increasing the priority of the fight against climate change and apply a climate lens to the plans and actions of the City of Burlington including the Council strategic workplan and future budgets.

Check out the media release and Take Action Burlington blog post about the declaration.

Climate Resilient Burlington (CRB): A Plan for Adapting to Our Warmer, Wetter and Wilder Weather

Climate Resilient Burlington: A Plan for Adapting to Our Warmer, Wetter and Wilder Weather is a City initiative that helps:

Identify climate-based vulnerabilities
Identify risks that require further attention
Align actions to plan for our changing climate

The draft plan was presented to City Council in May 2022 and made available for public feedback between April 22 and May 8, 2022. The final plan was presented to City Council in July 2022. Visit the Climate Resilient Burlington project page to learn more about the initiative.

Climate Impacts Story Map

View our interactive Climate Change Impacts Story Map with more information on Burlington-specific climate change impacts from warmer, wetter and wilder weather:

Extreme heat and extreme cold
High winds
Rainfall and freezing rain
Lake effects
Vector-borne diseases

Climate Resilient staff reports and presentations

On July 7, 2022, City staff presented the following to the Environment, Infrastructure and Community Services meeting:

Staff Report EICS-12-22 - Climate Resilient Burlington: A Plan for Adapting to Our Warmer, Wetter and Wilder Weather (Final)
Appendix A - Climate Resilient Burlington: A Plan for Adapting to Our Warmer, Wetter and Wilder Weather (Final)
Appendix B - Stakeholder Comments to the Draft CRB Plan (based on the plan and surveys posted between April 22 and May 8, 2022)

On May 5, 2022, City staff presented the following information to City Council at the Environment, Infrastructure and Community Services meeting:

Staff Report EICS-02-22 - Climate Resilient Burlington: A Plan for Adapting to Our Warmer, Wetter and Wilder Weather
Appendix A - Climate Resilient Burlington (CRB): A Plan for Adapting to Our Warmer, Wetter and Wilder Weather, Draft May 2022
Appendix B - Survey Results on Vision, Principles, Climate Impacts and Actions, October 27 to November 14, 2021
Appendix C - CRB Climate Change Vulnerability and Risk Assessment (Technical Report), December 2021
Appendix D - CRB Engagement Plan, October 2021
Appendix E - CRB Engagement Report, March 2022
Climate Resilient Burlington presentation slides and video
Six surveys were also available at GetInvolvedBurlington.ca/CRB for feedback regarding the draft CRB plan between April 22 and May 8, 2022.

On Oct. 27, 2021 the CRB public launch was held. View event recording.

On March 4, 2021, City staff presented the following information to City Council at the Environment, Infrastructure and Community Services meeting:

Climate Adaptation Plan March 2021 Staff Report (background information on CRB project)
Appendix A - Climate Projections for Burlington Region
Appendix B - Infographics for Burlington Region
Burlington's Climate Adaptation Plan March 2021 presentation slides and video

Existing climate resilient programs and information

Existing local programs or information that can help you prepare and adapt to warmer, wetter and wilder weather include:

Home Flood Protection Program - A residential flood risk reduction education program that helps residents take action to reduce their flood risk and reduce damage in the event of a flood.
Plumbing Fee Grant Program (extended to the end of 2023) - A City financial assistance program that covers the cost of a building permit for flood prevention work, such as the installation of a backwater valve and/or sump pump and the repair/replacement of a sanitary line with the installation of a backwater valve. Assistance is offered on a first come, first served basis.
Enhanced Basement Flooding Subsidy Program - Halton Region's Enhanced Basement Flooding Prevention Subsidy Program makes it easier and more affordable for residents to make improvements that can help reduce the risk of flooding.
Basement Flooding Mitigation Program - Halton Region's Basement Flooding Mitigation Program allows the Region to make improvements to wastewater mains, laterals and maintenance holes in the City of Burlington and other municipalities within Halton Region.
Warming and cooling centre news and notices - We provide news and updates on access to warming and cooling centres when temperatures get extreme in the area
Cold warnings - Halton Region provides information about the risks associated with extreme cold temperatures and steps you can take to protect yourself from cold-related injuries
Heat warnings - Halton Region provides information about heat illnesses and how to take precautions and prevent health issues in extreme heat
Lyme disease - Halton Region provides information about Lyme disease and how to protect yourself and your family against the spread of the bacterial infection.
West Nile virus - Halton Region provides information about West Nile virus and how to reduce impacts on residents
Preparation for a power outage or severe storm - Learn how you can prepare for and deal with power outages and severe storms in Burlington. Halton Region also provides information on community hazards and risks, such as windstorms, winter storms, thunderstorms, lightning, tornadoes and flooding.

Take Action Burlington blog posts related to climate resiliency

For additional posts or to subscribe, please visit TakeActionBurlington.ca

Climate Action Plan (on climate mitigation)

Our Climate Action Plan identifies a low-carbon energy pathway for the community. Incorporating community member and stakeholder engagement, it builds on our Climate Emergency Declaration to set a strong direction for the City and our community to mitigate GHG emissions and reduce energy consumption. It includes a vision for the future and outlines seven areas to guide efforts:

View our Climate Action Plan project page, which includes key project dates, document libraries, how to get involved and more.

Climate Action Plan staff reports and presentations

Climate Action Plan - Annual Updates
- 2022 - September (coming soon)
- 2021 - June (Report, Appendix A and B)
Home Energy Efficiency Retrofit Program - March 2022
Better Homes Burlington Recommendations Report - March 2022
Residential deep energy retrofit pilot program - Sept. 2020
Options for a deep energy retrofit program - July 2020
Get Involved Burlington Climate Action Plan project webpage

Take Action Burlington blog posts related to climate mitigation

For additional posts or to subscribe, please visit TakeActionBurlington.ca

Take Action Burlington - An Update on Our Local Environment

The Take Action Burlington - An Update on Our Local Environment report provides an overview of the state of Burlington's environment, highlighting local sustainability efforts, climate change connections and actions that can be taken under the categories of land, air, water and waste.

You can also view our Take Action Burlington online story map for an interactive journey through the report.

A series of blog posts were also published about the report overview, land, air, water and waste.

City actions to address climate change (mitigation and adaptation)

Our Strategic Plan identifies the following commitments:

We recognize that climate change is a significant issue and are working with the community and all levels of government toward the goal of our community becoming net carbon-neutral
We aim to have City operations become net carbon-neutral by 2040
We aim to become a leader in storm water management and low impact development
We will complete and implement a climate change adaptation plan
The streetscape plans and private development will increase the City's tree canopy

From Vision to Focus

These commitments are further supported in our 2018-2022 Burlington's Plan: From Vision to Focus, including:

Promoting and working toward a lower carbon community in support of the United Nations' (UN) global warming target
Developing our Climate Action Plan, addressing our Climate Emergency Declaration and focusing on reducing the community's GHG emissions
Reducing the GHG emissions from City operations overall by 21 per cent by 2024 and 100 per cent by 2040
Developing Burlington's Climate Change Adaptation Plan
Increasing the City's tree canopy to 35% by 2041
Updating the City's Green Fleet Strategy and develop an action plan to reduce the City's carbon footprint through alternative fuel sources

We aim to ensure implementation plans are in progress and/or completed for our:

City actions

Our City actions include:

Improving the energy efficiency of facilities through the Corporate Energy and Emissions Management Plan (2019-2024)
- Annual updates
  - June 9, 2022 (item 4.2)
  - July 8, 2021 (item 4.1)
  - July 6, 2020 (item 4.3)
Working with community stakeholders to implement the Climate Action Plan
Using renewable energy at City facilities, such as solar energy
Engaging the community in updating our Urban Forestry Management Plan and in developing the Private Tree Bylaw
Developing and adopting the Parking and Idling Bylaw
Supporting a sustainable transportation network for transit users, cyclists and pedestrians as part of our Integrated Mobility Plan
Participating in networks, such as the Clean Air Council under the Clean Air Partnership, the Federation of Canadian Municipalities' Partners for Climate Protection program (Burlington achieved all five milestones in 2017), the Bay Area Climate Change Office collaboration with the City of Hamilton and the Centre for Climate Change Management at Mohawk College, the Halton Climate Collective, the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy and ICLEI's Advancing Adaptation training for Ontario municipalities
Implementing a Zero Waste Strategy
Implementing a Green Fleet Strategy

Climate change and air quality

The decisions we make every day, such as how we live and move around have an impact on emissions that contribute to poor air quality and climate change. The effects of climate change, such as more intense storms and flooding will also impact our everyday lives. Initiatives to reduce air emissions can also help reduce GHGs that contribute to climate change, and vice versa.

What is the difference between weather, climate and climate change?

Weather is the day-to-day changes in conditions, such as temperature and rainfall. We live with the weather.

Climate is weather averaged over a longer term, usually 30 years. We plan for climate.

Climate change is significant changes in climate, measured by long term changes in temperature, precipitation, winds and other indicators. Climate change can involve both changes in average conditions and changes in variability, including changes in extreme conditions. With climate change, we anticipate warmer, wetter and wilder weather.

A balanced amount of greenhouse gases (GHGs) keeps our planet habitable. However, since industrialization, GHGs have steadily increased and are impacting our climate.

Smog and air quality

Smog is used to describe a mixture of pollutants, primarily made up of:

Ground-level ozone and fine particulate matter
Sulphur dioxide
Volatile organic compounds
Carbon monoxide
Ammonia

These contaminants are released into the environment when we burn fossil fuels to run vehicles, buildings and industries through the evaporation of fuels and oil-based plants, and as a result of natural processes. Smog can negatively impact human health and ecological health.

Learn more about air quality in Halton Region and air quality in Ontario.