Today, the City of Vancouver released its annual progress update on the Climate Emergency Action Plan (CEAP), marking significant achievements with wide-ranging benefits and highlighting areas for further action.
“Reflecting on the strides made in our annual climate progress report, Vancouver stands committed to a sustainable future,” said Mayor Ken Sim. “We continue to pursue climate action, while prioritizing affordability, health and safety, and embracing cutting-edge technology on the path towards a greener, more resilient, and vibrant city for generations to come.”
Highlights from 2023
- Resilient retrofit pilots: Demonstrating the feasibility and benefits of resilient retrofitting, two pilot programs were launched in collaboration with partners to partially electrify up to 20 buildings. Each pilot focused on providing tenants of non-profit housing and rental apartments with cooling, improved air quality and more comfortable accommodation.
- Active mobility plan: Creating the active mobility plan to guide the City’s investment in infrastructure and new, safer options for walking, cycling and rolling to align with the City’s active mobility targets.
- Missing middle: Adding multiplex housing to low-density areas to provide more housing choices across Vancouver, while enabling more residents to live closer to amenities, services and work.
- Parking minimums: Eliminating minimum parking requirements in new developments in the West End and Broadway Plan area, this policy reduces carbon emissions from concrete underground parking, while decreasing costs for new projects, potentially leading to more affordable housing options.
- Leading by example: Reducing carbon pollution with innovative building design and electrifying our fleet is the focus of our green operations plan. As part of this work, Vancouver opened Canada’s first zero-carbon Passive House firehall and deployed Canada’s first electric fire engine.
The annual report also highlights partnerships with other levels of government to build on local success and scale-up Vancouver’s impact. Critical projects included:
- Collaborating with the Province on a common framework for domestic hot water equipment standards.
- Launching joint electric vehicle infrastructure investment and deployment in Vancouver to meet accelerated provincial zero emission vehicle sales mandates.
- Partnering with BC Hydro and the Province to advance more predictable and fair ways to connect new developments to the electrical grid.
- Creating and sharing embodied carbon reporting guidelines with the Federal government to support national standards.
Background
The Climate Emergency Action Plan (CEAP) is Vancouver’s strategic roadmap to reduce carbon pollution by 50 per cent by 2030 from 2007 levels, focusing on building and vehicle emissions. Staff reported that the City has cut community-wide carbon pollution by 12 per cent compared to 2007, despite significant population and economic growth. If the remaining CEAP actions are successfully implemented, along with Provincial CleanBC actions, Vancouver can reduce emissions by 40 per cent by 2030. Staff will present the next five-year climate plan to Council in 2025, which will provide an opportunity to position the City to meet the 50 per cent reduction by 2030.
For more information on Vancouver’s climate actions, visit City of Vancouver – Climate Emergency.