Cities on the front line of the climate battle

More than half of the population lives in urban areas and no less than seven out of ten people will live there by 2050, according to the World Bank. Cities are therefore key players in the fight against climate change. In Quebec, we are no exception to the rule: nearly eight out of ten people already live in urban areas, as in the rest of Canada, the United States and Europe, while several Asian countries, as well as Australia, already reach or exceed these thresholds.

“Urban agglomerations form large concentrations of population and activity; they therefore emit large quantities of greenhouse gases (GHGs)” points out Sophie Van Neste, associate professor of political action at the Center for Urbanization, Culture and Society at INRS.

As a result, between 67 and 72% of all global GHG emissions come from urban areas, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). According to the observed results, cities could achieve near carbon neutrality by 2050 if they adopted significant emission measures, such as electrification and improved energy efficiency. Professor Van Neste points out that cities have many levels for action in the fight against climate change since they have budgets to invest, regulations to adopt and they are at the center of many planning activities, in the consultation and construction fields.

Ambitious and proactive, the city of Montreal is committed to becoming carbon neutral by 2050 and reducing its GHGs by at least 55% below 1990 levels by 2030. Its current climate plan includes 46 measures distributed in five different spheres, namely: mobilizing the community; mobility, urban planning and engagement; buildings and exemplarity of the city and governance. Last May, Montreal even advanced the 2050 target for zero-emission buildings by ten years. According to Mrs. Van Neste, this plan contains many positive elements. However, she notes that some elements of inclusion still need to be worked on, such as better identification of the populations who risk being affected by the new measures, as well as the proposal of possible solutions.

We hope that Montreal will continue to successfully achieve its ambitious energy efficiency objectives to make our beautiful big city an inspiring city that will make a difference in the fight against climate change.

Source: Le Devoir

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