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The 2018 Environment Commissioner’s Report, Climate Action in Ontario: What’s Next, provides a sobering overview of how the province of Ontario is already being impacted by climate change. Ontario is warming faster than the global average - the average annual temperature for the province has increased by 1.5° C since 1948, and the ten warmest years on record have all occurred since 1998.
In the past decade, the City of Toronto has experienced several notable climate events including:
major flooding in July 2013,
an ice storm that wreaked havoc in December 2013,
the flooding of the Toronto Islands in the spring of 2017,
significant heat waves in recent summers, and
smoke from forest fires in Northern Ontario, in the summer of 2021
more flooding in July 2024
These types of events have significant implications on people’s homes, livelihoods and health and can impact public access to services and critical infrastructure.
IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE IN TORONTO
IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE IN TORONTO
Some of the known impacts of climate change in the Canadian context include:
Milder winters that create favourable conditions for insects like ticks and mosquitoes, contributing to more cases of vector borne diseases like Lyme disease, West Nile virus and others.
Increased Canadian food prices which will disproportionately affect lower income families, and further compromise their food and nutrition security.
Mental health effects for people who have experienced the trauma of loss of home, loved ones or livelihoods, for people who are grieving the loss of familiar people and places, and for those worrying about what the future holds
By 2050, Toronto can expect more hot summer days (up to 44°C), a threefold increase in summer days over 30°C, four times as many heatwaves and the daily rainfall maximum is expected to increase from 66mm to 166mm.
Title: Predicted changes to Toronto’s weather- 2000-2050
Source: City of Toronto: Building Resilience
TRANSFORMTO: TORONTO'S CLIMATE ACTION STRATEGY
TRANSFORMTO: TORONTO'S CLIMATE ACTION STRATEGY
For a city to address climate change effectively, it needs a climate action plan, developed in consultation with key stakeholders such as residents, businesses and politicians. TransformTO is Toronto’s ambitious climate action strategy, approved by City Council in July 2017.
Title: Toronto's Greenhouse Gas Emissions for 2019
Source: City of Toronto
TransformTO includes a set of long-term, low-carbon goals and strategies to reduce local greenhouse gas emissions and improve human health, grow the economy, and improve social equity within the City of Toronto.
In October 2019, largely in response to global youth climate strikes, Toronto City Council voted unanimously to declare a climate emergency and accelerate efforts to mitigate and adapt to climate change. As a result, City Council committed Toronto to the following GHG reduction targets (based on 1990 levels):
30% by 2020
65% by 2030
Net zero by 2050, or sooner
In response to City Council’s Climate Emergency declaration, the City has developed a Net Zero Strategy which builds on the existing TransformTO plan.
Achieving the targets set out in TransformTO will require changes to how we live, work, build and commute within the city and each sector of the economy will require different actions. The targets identified in TransformTO provide a great starting point to focus ideas for youth-led community climate action.
Title: TransformTO planned GHG targets by 2050
Source: TransformTO
It is important to note that we have already experienced positive change in terms of City-wide GHG reductions, due to the cumulative efforts of all levels of government, community and private sector actors. According to the City’s 2019 TransformTO Implementation update, community-wide GHG emissions in 2017 were 44% lower than the 1990 baseline. While the City’s short-term target of 30% GHG reduction by 2020 has already been achieved, transforming Toronto into a net zero carbon City will require a sustained effort from all sectors and all stakeholders in the years ahead.
Who manages TransformTO?
TransformTO is managed by the City of Toronto’s Environment & Energy Division. Staff within this division coordinate consultations with stakeholders, outreach, monitoring and reporting.
You can read more about TransformTO and access reports and other resources on the City of Toronto’s website.
How youth can help
Everyone in Toronto needs to be working towards the TransformTO targets, but not all members of our community may be aware of climate change, its effects on our health, planet and prosperity, or the fact that the City of Toronto has a climate action strategy. Others may already be aware of these things but may not know how to initiate action or where to get help. Youth can play a huge role in helping the City to promote TransformTO and get more businesses, community groups and citizens on board and inspired to reduce their emissions.
The video below produced by the City of Toronto explains what people and organizations can do to reduce their GHG emissions. This video can help you understand TransformTO and can also be used for outreach and education efforts to introduce community members to the City’s climate action strategy and understand how they can play a role in achieving targets.
RESOURCES
RESOURCES
2018 Greenhouse Gas Progress Report: Environmental Commissioner report on Climate Action in Ontario
Prepared by the former Environmental Commissioner of Ontario, this report details the provinces’ progress in reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Government of Canada Climate Change website and Natural Resources Canada Climate Change website
The Government of Canada works with scientists to monitor Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions as well as how the country is being impacted by climate change. More information and reports can be found on these websites.
The What on Earth podcast series on climate change: Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC): Climate Change Videos, Podcasts, Articles and More
CBC has a number of resources to help people learn about climate change.
CBC Kids videos on climate change
City of Toronto TransformTO website
The TransformTO website is a portal to reports on TransformTO consultations is also where you can find information on the status of implementation.
Information on City of Toronto programs, grants, incentives, and resources to engage communities in helping to accelerate the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions can be accessed through the Live Green Toronto website.
Toronto Resilience Strategy website
The Toronto Resilience Strategy website provides information and resources about climate resilience in Toronto.
It’s time to #TransformTO - together! video
Share the City of Toronto's It's time to #TransformTO - together! video at an education event or via social media to help others understand what they can do to help Toronto reduce its greenhouse gas emissions.
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