A new plan for a new decade
Our 2020 Climate Change Mitigation Plan replaces an earlier 2007 Energy and Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Management Plan which had GHG reduction targets until 2012. The updated 2020 plan now has GHG emission inventories and short, medium, and long-term reduction targets leading to 2050 plus actions that can be taken to achieve them.
Our updated plan focuses on six main areas for improvement:
- Transportation
- Land use
- Buildings
- Waste management
- Renewable energy
- Policy, decision-making, and reporting
Our local climate is changing
The climate is changing globally, but in northern communities like Prince George, the climate is altering at an accelerated rate. Our annual average temperature has already increased by nearly two degrees Celsius since 1942 and seasonal rain and snowfall have decreased over the past several decades.
The impacts of climate change are being felt locally, resulting in:
- Warmer winters leading to flooding in low-lying areas because of increased seasonal rainfall not able to be conveyed through frozen catch basins.
- More trees killed by beetle populations that survive through milder winters.
- Hotter and drier summers that spark historic wildfires.
- Long winter cold snaps - known as the polar vortex - caused by a weakened jet stream.
Projections show that by 2050 Prince George can expect more rainfall and frost-free days in winter and more cases of extreme precipitation year-round. All of this will affect buildings, infrastructure, public health and safety, air quality, and the natural environment.
Taking action against climate change
City (corporate) emissions vs. Community emissions
New emissions targets for Prince George
Our goal is to reduce corporate and community greenhouse gas emissions in the long term through ambitious, but achievable, targets. These targets - outlined in the 2020 Climate Change Mitigation Plan - are set for 2025, 2030, 2040, and 2050 and the ultimate goal is to reduce emissions by 80 per cent by 2050 from 2017 levels.
The 80 per cent goal is in line with targets set by the other municipalities and the Provincial Government.
Corporate targets
- 5 per cent reduction in emissions by 2025
- 17 per cent reduction in emissions by 2030
- 50 per cent reduction in emissions by 2040
- 80 per cent reduction in emissions by 2050
Community targets
- 5 per cent reduction in emissions by 2025
- 12 per cent reduction in emissions by 2030
- 50 per cent reduction in emissions by 2040
- 80 per cent reduction in emissions by 2050