Toronto is making progress on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and is halfway to its 2030 target of a 65 per cent reduction from 1990 levels, the city announced Wednesday.Emissions were 33 per cent lower in 2016 than in 1990, according to the greenhouse gas emissions inventory, which uses data from energy use in buildings, vehicles, waste and industry.It takes about two years to collect and verify data for the inventory, which is why it’s just being released now.It’s good news, said Julia Langer, CEO of the Toronto Atmospheric Fund, an arm’s length city agency that co-developed the Transform TO climate change plan.“The real key is that we are making strides to reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” she said, adding it’s amazing given how much the city has grown since 1990. “But we can’t really rest on our laurels because a huge chunk of that 33 per cent reduction was because of the (provincial) coal phaseout.”Buildings accounted for 45 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions in Toronto in 2016, transportation 35 per cent (80 per cent of that from personal vehicles), and waste 20 per cent. Part of the 2016 reduction, Langer said, was also due to an unseasonably warm winter where people used less heat.Now, “we have to redouble the pace,” in order to meet the 2030 target and invest in the “harder things” such as energy efficiency in older buildings and electrification of transportation.The new numbers put Toronto ahead of cities like Vancouver (9 per cent reduction since 1990) and London England, (25 per cent reduction), according to a recent report from the Toronto Atmospheric Fund.“This latest inventory shows we`re on track,” said Mayor John Tory in a city news release.“We’ll build on this momentum through the TransformTO Climate Action Strategy to transform how we live, build and travel to meet our long-term targets.”Heather Marshall, campaigns director with the ...
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