Cities Should Lead Canada's Green Recovery
Why we need these chaotic, problem-solving laboratories đ
The more I look at how big cities are built and run, the more complicated they seem to me. Just the sheer scope of daily activity that happens in places like Toronto, Montreal, Calgary or Vancouver is overwhelming â waste disposal and water treatment, parking enforcement and public transportation, police and fire; itâs hard to take it all in.
Now throw in a deadly global pandemic where big cities have become hot spots subject to (sometimes conflicting) public health advice from federal, provincial and municipal governments.
And then throw in looming threats from extreme weather events due to climate change, like wildfires, floods and heat waves. The health of the country rests heavily on how our cities rise to all of these challenges.
Photo: John Vetterli, Wiki Commons
Climate emergencies
About 1,800 jurisdictions and local governments across 31 countries have declared climate emergencies. Vancouver declared one in January last year. Then Edmonton declared one last August and Toronto followed that October. Many more city councils across Canada have done the same.
But do these declarations actually mean anything?
Critics say theyâre empty gestures: âWhile declaring a climate emergency is becoming somewhat vogue, the world continues to act like itâs business as usual ensuring more calamity is ahead,â Brian Kahn wrote for Gizmodo.
Simply put: legislated targets and accountability mechanisms are missing from these declarations. As with most matters of public policy, the budget is where these virtuous gestures can take on real meaning.
City & the country
In 2018, Western University published a study on the consequences of flooding in Canadaâs biggest cities. It mentions the frequency of future flooding is expected to drastically increase, âmaking these cities highest at risk to projected changes in flooding frequencies as a consequence of climate change.â
Cities, of course, do not exist entirely in their own bubbles and theyâre not the only ones to notice the increasing costs of climate change:
In March, the Fraser Basin Council of B.C. warned that major flooding in that area could cause âup to $30 billion in damages and displace up to 300,000 people.â
âBetween 2001 and 2016, ONLY 2005 and 2013 had no significant drought impacts and costs,â noted this 2018 report on the impact of droughts on agriculture in Canada. Between 2008-2012, âfederal-provincial disaster relief payouts for climate-related events totaled more than $785 million. More than $16.7 billion in crop insurance was paid out.â
Why are cities important?
Cities are uniquely positioned to become climate action leaders. Thatâs because their size makes them amplifiers for both the problems and solutions people create. Over 70% of Canadaâs population resides in cities, and these areas are growing faster than rural areas.
Globally, 50% of the worldâs population lives in cities. By 2050, that will increase to two-thirds.
âCities are a key contributor to climate change, as urban activities are major sources of greenhouse gas emissions. Estimates suggest that cities are responsible for 75 percent of global CO2 emissions, with transport and buildings being among the largest contributors.â - United Nations Environment Programme
There is no future to speak of without cities playing a central role in reducing our greenhouse gas emissions.
Big cheques, big change
There are signs that cities are ready to confront the scale of the adaptation and mitigation costs they face. Vancouverâs proposed Climate Emergency Action Plan is estimated to cost $500 million. An Ottawa council committee says itâll take $30 billion for the city to meet its emissions reduction targets.
Canadaâs federal government has increasingly embraced climate leadership while provinces have flirted with obstructionism. Cities have sometimes found themselves caught in between.
More federal-municipal partnerships can help break us out of this pattern and start increasing the pace for climate action in cities. An example occurred last Friday, when Toronto committed $28.5 million along with $19 million from the feds to upgrade the Jane Street Bridge and address flooding in Rockcliffe-Smythe.
If that sounds like a lot of money for helping one neighbourhood prepare for one aspect of climate change, consider what it will cost in areas where we do nothing. And then consider the economic activity that comes from this spending.
We need leaders of all levels to step up to help cities meet this challenge. Itâs already at our doorstep.
Cartoon by Joel Pett.
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