Le français viendra sous peu.
Didn’t we already agree that greenhouse gas emissions are not it? I thought society collectively shamed hairspray companies into saving the ozone layer, and now we were focusing on billionaires (and Katy Perry, for some reason) taking joy rides into space and giving up our water supply to ChatGPT in exchange for its friendship.
Evidently, we still have some work to do, because CO2 has been accumulating faster than any other time in human history, and we continue to break warming records. According to the World Meteorological Organization, this guarantees hotter temperatures and more climate disasters like wild fires.
In Ottawa, City Council declared a climate emergency in 2019 and implemented the Climate Change Master Plan (or CCMP) in 2020. The CCMP focuses on reducing greenhouse gas emissions and combating climate change in Ottawa. On September 16th, City Council’s Environment and Climate Change Committee met and received an updated Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory for the first time since 2021, despite being promised annually in the CCMP. Let’s pause for a moment and put that into perspective: the last GHG Inventory came out while most of us were still trying to come up with excuses to get out of virtual happy hours or learning how to bake sourdough (sorry to make you relive that trauma).
So, what exactly is the GHG Inventory? It’s, well, an inventory of all the greenhouse gas emissions for the City of Ottawa and the main way to track our progress towards the greenhouse gas reduction targets set in the CCMP. It is meant to provide an avenue for the public to stay up to date (given the delays, we’ll call it up to date-ish) and informed on emissions and see how Ottawa stacks up against climate targets. It’s also an accountability and visibility tool. And if there’s one thing we all know politicians love it’s being kept honest and transparent.
The CCMP laid out the following GHG reductions targets, which are based on 2012 emissions levels:
In this context, corporate emissions are those generated by the city’s operations, which includes municipal buildings, vehicles, and services. Data for these is collected from city departments. Community emissions are those generated within Ottawa’s boundaries but apart from City operations; this can include transportation, heating, and electricity usage, among others, and data is collected from utilities, fuel suppliers, as well as provincial reports adjusted in proportion with the city.
So…how are we doing? In terms of corporate emissions, actually not too bad (wow, feels very unnatural to write the phrase “corporate emissions” and not immediately follow it with an epitaph about how we’ll all be reminiscing about creating profit for shareholders in a Mad-Max style apocalyptic encampment in a few years’ time). The City achieved the 2025 emissions reduction target of 30% up until as recently as 2022. Unfortunately, since then, emissions did start increasing again, and as of 2024 were only about 26% lower than the 2012 baseline levels, falling just shy of the 2025 target. The transit fleet and solid waste operations are the main culprits, with diesel usage and landfill gasses generating most corporate emissions. The increase in emissions in the last few years has largely been driven by solid waste, or landfill gas, and electricity usage in city facilities. Part of the problem is that Ontario’s power grid is increasingly relying on the use of natural gas, which contributes significant quantities of emissions.
The good news is that the city, through its Green Fleet Strategy, is set to electrify half of OC Transpo’s buses by 2027, which would reduce bus emissions by 47% and help offset other increases (now, if only they could get the buses to run on time – hot take, I know). Ottawa also has other strategies to reduce electricity usage and landfill emissions, including the rooftop solar program and plans to explore landfill gas as a renewable resource.
The bad news is that corporate emissions only account for 4% of total emissions. You know what that means: community emissions are responsible for the vast majority. The good news is that in 2024, per capita emissions were 19% lower than in 2012; but because we have more people in Ottawa—through migration and births, for example—our overall emissions are still high. The City reports that we’ve only dropped our community emissions by 5% – remember, the goal is a reduction of 43% by 2025. And we have less than four months left in the year. Even if we all sit in the dark eating canned tuna until New Year’s, I don’t think we’re going to make it.
The main factors driving community emissions are:
- Transportation, which accounts for 44% of emissions and actually increased by 5% since 2012.
- Buildings, which account for 41% of emissions, with natural gas contributing 31% and electricity 7.5%.
- Waste, which accounts for 12%, and which has also increased since 2012.
While the GHG Inventory does state that “Ottawa’s progress for total emissions is not unique within the national picture,” and discusses how at least we’re on par with cities like Toronto, Vancouver, and Calgary, I’m not so sure this is a cause for celebration. Consoling ourselves about not hitting climate action targets by making comparisons to other parts of the country that aren’t hitting targets either doesn’t exactly feel like a win.
So, what can we do to turn things around and get back on track to hit future CCMP greenhouse gas reductions targets? Unsurprisingly, the big one is reducing car use, since it’s the largest contributor to transportation emissions. There are several ways to reduce car use in the city:
- Building sustainable, walkable neighborhoods – check out Ecology Ottawa’s 15-minute neighborhood program
- No longer increasing road capacity, and using existing capacity more efficiently
- Increasing rapid transit through initiatives like dedicated bus lanes and improving reliability and frequency
- Improving cycling and pedestrian infrastructure substantially by creating a safe and connected network
Basically, sorry everybody, but we’re all going to have to find a way to get on board with those e-scooters ASAP.
In terms of recent City Council developments, the city’s Transportation Master Plan’s modal share targets (or goals for increasing the percentage of sustainable transportation methods) were reduced, meaning that they have become more easily attainable. While it might feel good to pat ourselves on the back for hitting targets, it doesn’t mean much if the targets aren’t all that impactful. There has also been consideration regarding the incineration of waste residuals in an effort to reduce waste volume and decrease landfill gas emissions. Unfortunately, it turns out burning garbage isn’t the eco-solution we’ve all been hoping for since incineration comes with a whole host of negative repercussions, including economic, health, and environmental impacts. The 2026 Budget Directions also indicate the underfunding of public transit.
The moment for immediate action has passed since Council accepted the report, but City Hall is currently drafting the budget for 2026, with plans to table the draft budget at Council on November 12th. There are lots of opportunities to get involved, with a big one being attending Councillor-led public consultations based on ward. This is our chance to tell City Council how to spend our money (enter obligatory “our taxes pay their salaries” comment here).
The next general municipal election is on October 26th, 2026, and, while that may seem far into the future, it’s actually only about three seasons of Love Island away. I think we all know that the writing’s on the wall, and the time for major climate action was yesterday. Delays in delivering key information like the GHG Inventory, and the lack of a sense of urgency around fundamental issues is unacceptable. Use your vote to let City Council know that you care about climate issues and that you want your City Councilor to understand that climate change is an existential threat to all of us. This is not only an opportunity for political action, but also for personal action - we can all take steps to live more sustainably and do right by the planet (even if it means learning how to ride an e-scooter).
Karolina Galuszka is an Ecology Ottawa intern, a fourth year political science student at Carleton University, and a former high school Eco Team member
