Climate Action Plan Progress Report shows Saskatoon's per capita emissions have decreased by 20% since 2014
A report headed to the Standing Policy Committee on Environment, Utilities and Corporate Services outlines progress that the City of Saskatoon (City) has made toward greater sustainability and lower greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The Climate Action Plan: Progress Report 2021 (2021 Progress Report) will be presented to the committee on November 7. The report tallies the progress that has been made on the Climate Action Plan, which includes The Low Emissions Community Plan (LEC Plan) and the Corporate Climate Adaptation Strategy.
The City has committed to reducing emissions by 80% below the 2014 baseline by 2050 for both the community and the City’s own operations and has set an interim target of 15% reduction for the community and 40% reduction for the City by 2023.
In 2021, Saskatoon emitted 3,509,600 tonnes of CO2e, which is a 9% reduction from the 2014 baseline of 3,852,200. Saskatoon’s per capita emissions decreased by 20% since 2014 at 12.4 tonnes of CO2e per person (down from 15.6 per person in 2014). Reductions were seen in all sectors except Agriculture. Emissions from the City’s own operations decreased by 3% (from 225,000 in 2014 to 217,800 in 2021) with most reductions seen in the Buildings and Streetlighting sectors.
“The good news is, our emissions are trending downwards,” says Director of Sustainability Jeanna South. “Our goals are aggressive because they have to be. Climate change is happening, and we need to adapt our actions and mitigate potential damage quickly. We no longer have the option of taking our time. Our actions at the City of Saskatoon set the tone for the rest of the community, and we have put careful thought into our goals and have detailed plans for how to achieve each one of them.”
The City has progressed 26 of the 40 Actions outlined in the LEC Plan and 18 of the 30 Actions in the Corporate Climate Adaptation Strategy. One area of progress that is also a focus of the November 7 Committee meeting is energy generation, with 10/12 actions on track. Alternative Currents is an implementation plan for Saskatoon’s energy transition and will also be discussed at the Committee meeting.
Alternative Currents provides an implementation plan that is founded in the LEC Plan which establishes the City’s framework for becoming completely powered by renewable and/or low-emissions energy, including investments in local energy generation facilities (solar photovoltaics, hydropower, and district energy) through 12 actions. Alternative Currents provides a phased implementation plan for progressing these actions over the next 10 years.
“Fossil fuels are increasingly costly, and we cannot control for that. What we can do is look at ways to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels so that we insulate the City budget and the mill rate from this variable to some degree,” comments Jeanna South.
Specific initiatives from Alternative Currents that help progress corporate climate action targets include the installation of solar PV on municipal rooftops and land, the expansion of landfill gas capture from the Saskatoon Landfill, renewable energy procurement, residential rebates and reviewing solar PV access and orientation to encourage resident self-generation. Each action in the implementation plan will be brought forward separately for funding approval by Mayor and Council before further work progresses.
Reports available:
The City’s Climate Action Plan: Progress Report 2021 can be found at Saskatoon.ca/climatechange
Alternative Currents: An Implementation Plan for Saskatoon’s Renewable and Low-Emission Energy Transition can be found at Saskatoon.ca/renewablenergy