The decisions we make every day, such as how we live and move around, (mitigation) have an impact on emissions that contribute to poor air quality and climate change. The effects of climate change, such as significantly more intense storms and flooding will also impact our everyday lives (adaptation). Initiatives to reduce air emissions can also help reduce the greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change, and vice versa.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change stated that human influence on the climate system is clear. The atmospheric concentration of key greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide) is unprecedented in the last 800,000 years, with our fossil fuel driven economies and the increase in population to blame.
Burlington’s City Council unanimously passed a motion to declare a climate emergency at the April 23, 2019 City Council meeting.
Check out the following:
Climate Change |
Weather is the day-to-day changes in conditions such as temperature and rainfall. Climate change is a long-term shift measured by 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. A balanced amount of greenhouse gases keeps our planet habitable. However, since industrialization, greenhouse gases have steadily increased and are impacting our climate. |
City Actions to Reduce Air and Greenhouse Gas Emissions |
Burlington's Strategic Plan 2015-2040 identified the following commitments:
These commitments were further supported in 2018-2022 Burlington's Plan: From Vision to Focus. City actions include:
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Climate Change Adaptation |
Recognizing that climate change is already occurring and we are experiencing its effects, such as increased frequency of severe weather events, adaptation measures are necessary for city operations and services, including:
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Partners for Climate Protection |
Partners for Climate Protection is a program administered by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities and ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability to assist local governments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from city operations and community wide. There are five milestones in the program for municipalities to meet, including:
Burlington was recognized in 2017 by the PCP program for meeting all five milestones. A copy of the report can be found here. Although Burlington has completed all five milestones, the city is now working towards making city operations net zero carbon by 2040 and working towards being a net zero carbon community as stated in the Burlington's Strategic Plan 2015-2040 and further supported in 2018-2022 Burlington's Plan: From Vision to Focus. |
Smog |
Smog is used to describe a mixture of pollutants primarily made up of ground level ozone (O3) and fine particulate matter (PM2.5). Other major components include:
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 paints, and as a result of natural processes. Smog can negatively impact human and ecological health. |
Additional Resources and Links |