2021 Emissions Modelling Reference Document

The 2021 Emissions Modelling Reference Document is a supporting document for The City of Calgary Climate Mitigation Action Plan. This document describes the Low Carbon Economy (LCE) model version 2021, an integrated emissions and economic model for Calgary’s key emission areas of buildings and transportation based on the Low Carbon Economy (LCE) model version 2018.

Climate Mitigation Best Practices White Paper: 2021

This paper captures the state of climate mitigation best practices in municipal planning.

Climate projections for Calgary 2022

A detailed analysis of climate modelling to better understand the changing climate and associated impacts on the people in our community, built infrastructure, the natural environment and the economy.

Climate Adaptation Best Practices White Paper: 2021

Documents the state of climate adaptation best practices in municipal planning to inform the City of Calgary Climate Strategy 2022 and Climate Adaptation Action Plan 2022.

Vulnerability Risk Assessment Report

An in-depth research project which provided information about climate change risks and actions for climate resilience in Calgary.

Community Climate Risk Index

Summarizes climate risk and provides insight into geographic and community-specific drivers of climate.

Natural Asset Valuation Assessment

An in-depth research project which provided information about climate change risks and actions for climate resilience in Calgary.

Costs of Inaction: Economic Analysis of Calgary's Climate Risk

A study detailing the economic consequences of climate change in a future Calgary and providing economic justification and prioritization for climate adaptation investment that can reduce these impacts.

Terminology

Important Resources

2021 Citizen Perspectives Survey Report on Climate Change 

The City of Calgary surveys citizens about their opinions, preferences and attitudes. This report presents the results of the 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021 surveys on extreme weather, home energy efficiency, and climate change.

Funding climate action in the City of Calgary report

Funding climate action is challenging as there is no single source of funding or single mechanism that will allow municipalities to meet their climate goals. A coordinated effort across all City departments, the federal and provincial governments, and the private sector will be required. This report identifies mechanisms available to The City for funding, financing, and supporting climate action in Calgary, highlights the current projects and programs that are leveraging external funding opportunities, and identifies new opportunities for The City to explore.

• IPCC Assessment Report
• Everything Counts: Unpacking the IPCC's 1.5° Report
• Canada’s Net Zero Future

Climate Equity

• An Equity Review of Calgary Climate Strategy – Pathways to 2050
• Climate Action Equity Report
• Equity Presentation
• An Equity Review of the City of Calgary’s Climate Resilience Strategy

Indigenous Perspective

• Reconciliation and the Intersections of Indigenous Peoples and Climate Change

Yes. You can learn more about Council's Climate Emergency Declaration and what that means for our work at https://www.calgary.ca/uep/esm/energy-savings/climate-change.html#emergency.

The City of Calgary is updating our greenhouse gas reduction target to align with the federal net zero target by 2050. This target would apply not only to existing City buildings, but to all City-owned and operated buildings, facilities and fleets. The City is currently developing a Corporate Energy and Greenhouse Gas Plan to achieve the updated net zero target. The City is also exploring using our Charter authority to implement energy performance standards for new buildings beyond what is required in the provincial building code.

The City of Calgary Climate Emergency Declaration directs The City to work with its civic partners and subsidiaries to align with City of Calgary climate targets to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. The City will continue to work with ENMAX to advance clean electricity as zero carbon electricity is critically important for Calgary to reach its net zero targets by 2050. However, actions such as time-of-use pricing and other actions that affect electricity pricing in Calgary are outside the jurisdiction of the City of Calgary to direct or enact.

The importance of land use planning will remain a critical component of the updated strategy. The strategy will provide direction on City Building practices and the importance of managing growth. With respect to new growth in particular (greenfield), proposals that will come before Council to advance new community development will include information on the impacts to established climate targets and goals to help inform Council decisions.

A draft will not be shared with the general public prior to it being presented to Council in Q2 2022. The general public will have an opportunity to speak to it through the public hearing process at Council. External stakeholder engagement has been ongoing with community experts such as, but not limited to utilities, insurance industry, development and building industry, academia, Chamber of Commerce, Calgary Economic Development, Colliers, the Calgary Airport Authority, Calgary Climate Hub, equity-deserving groups and social service agencies.

Emissions from City-owned building and vehicles represent about four per cent of city-wide greenhouse gas emissions. The City has a Corporate Energy and Greenhouse Gas Plan that is specific to reducing emissions in City-owned and operated facilities and fleet. The emissions targets for the corporate plan are also being updated to align to achieving net zero emission by 2050, and the updated plan will be brought to Council for approval in Q2 2022 alongside the city-wide Climate Mitigation Action Plan.

In short - no. The Climate Strategy, and its associated adaptation and mitigation action plans build on the great work that was started in 2018. The plans will include updated actions for programs that were initiated in the original strategy, but also new actions and priorities that are more relevant for where we are today. The updated Climate Strategy will also include updated targets, such as the move to a net zero target for greenhouse gas emissions, and the actions in our plans will have to be adjusted to address those new targets.

Yes. Significant work has been done to identify targets and indicators to track The City’s progress towards our Climate goals. Those indicators will be included in the updated Climate Strategy, and will also be reported to Council as part of the annual reporting process already in place.

The emissions modelling that the City of Calgary is updating to inform the updated action plan includes the cost per ton of emissions reduction. This information is being used to estimate the cost of achieving net zero by 2050. The costs estimates will also be used to help prioritize actions; however, we recognize that implementing only the cost-effective solutions will not get us on track to achieve net zero emissions by 2050. It will be necessary to invest in ambitious, and potentially expensive, solutions.

Calgary Economic Development has identified that in order for Calgary to remain an innovative and globally competitive city, it is necessary to set (and attempt to achieve) ambitious climate action targets. It is necessary to attract and retain businesses and innovators in the modern global economy. Many of the solutions identified in the Climate Mitigation Action Plan have economic development benefits. Not taking action on climate change will likely have a greater financial impact on Calgarians than proactively implementing climate change solutions.

Yes. The updated Climate Mitigation Action Plan will identify milestones in specific sectors that are necessary to achieve to be on track to net zero emissions by 2050.

The City is currently working on a high-level assessment of this cost. We hope to bring this assessment, which is the cost of inaction or the anticipated cost of climate change impacts on our city if we do nothing, to Council along with the updated Climate Strategy in 2022. A more in-depth analysis of the cost of taking action on climate change will be developed in the future as one of the actions in the updated strategy.

Yes. The Climate Emergency Declaration passed by Council in November 2021 clearly states that:

• That The City of Calgary makes climate change a strategic priority by accelerating the timelines for climate action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, updating the city-wide and corporate greenhouse gas reduction target to be net zero emissions by 2050 to help limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius;
• That The City of Calgary will develop strategic business plans and budgets across all departments that invest in and accelerate high priority emissions reduction and climate risk reduction opportunities.

New community business cases will include the potential impacts proposed developments may have on climate change and how they propose to mitigate those impacts.

Yes, we work with other municipal jurisdictions to share knowledge, experiences and best practices, including but not limited to the Cities of Edmonton, Vancouver, Toronto, and Montreal.

The city will be providing a task force on climate-related financial disclosure (TCFD) analysis in the 2021 financial report, describing governance, strategy, risk management and metrics and targets for climate planning. The goal of this TCFD reporting is to be transparent about climate-related risk information for external stakeholders, and to document the ways in which the City is preparing to support economic growth and build Calgary’s reputation as a low-carbon and resilient city.

Yes, these are all important considerations. Our updated Climate Strategy will consider emissions from our corporate fleet, water management, water supply, drought, flooding hazards, electric vehicles, food security and much more.

Climate modelling indicates Calgary is experiencing and will continue to experience climatic changes and an increased frequency and severity of extreme weather events such as extreme heat, heavy rainfall, drought, severe storms, river flooding, increasing average temperature as well as wildfire.

The City of Calgary is committed to taking action to address climate change.

Climate change hazards have worrying implications for cities. Cities have a critical role to play in reducing greenhouse gas emissions to help limit global climate change, as well as adapting to the risks posed by a changing climate.

The City of Calgary recognizes climate change has implications for our city both now and in the future. The majority of Calgarians are concerned about climate change and are supportive of climate action.

The updated Climate Strategy and Action Plans will identify critical actions, tools and programs needed in the next five years to:

• reduce greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050;
• reduce the impacts of climate change on the health and wellness of Calgarians, the economy, social systems, infrastructure and natural ecosystems; and
• support a low carbon economy.

The Climate Strategy and Action Plans, originally approved by City Council June 25, 2018, is being updated to reflect the latest climate science, international and national obligations, and feedback received from Calgarians. Additionally, Calgary City Charter requires Action Plans to be updated every five years. We’re updating the Climate Strategy to make sure we’re establishing the best approach to enable climate action.

The costs of climate impacts will continue to grow across Canada. There’s a strong business case showing the benefits of proactive investment to prepare for climate change outweigh the costs. For example, national research tells us that for every dollar we invest to reduce our vulnerability to climate hazards such as flooding, we can expect to save approximately $6 in future costs to recover from such events. As we continue to see more frequent and severe extreme weather events, the case for accelerated action only becomes stronger. Additionally, actions that reduce energy use and greenhouse gas emissions offer opportunities for cost savings, increased comfort and livability, and enable the transition to a low carbon economy.

Climate action and climate risk disclosure reporting demonstrates the ways in which The City is preparing to support economic growth, attract new business and investors, reduce long-term costs and damages due to climate change, and build Calgary’s reputation as a low-carbon and climate-resilient city.

The City Charter requires that The City have a Climate Mitigation and Adaptation Action Plan. Our climate work also needs to align with provincial and federal regulations, and international obligations. Federal net-zero targets are a driving factor in the update to the Climate Strategy and all climate mitigation (greenhouse gas reduction) actions that follow.

As Calgary moves towards a low carbon economy and Net Zero by 2050, new initiatives and policies may be put in place to help Calgarians minimize their carbon footprint. Your participation in future climate change programs will be key to achieving Net Zero.