TORONTO — The Atmospheric Fund commends the City of Toronto on the new net zero by 2040 target and climate plan adopted by council this week, which includes a suite of actions and policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the building and transportation sectors, the two biggest sources of emissions in the city.
The TransformTO Net Zero Strategy aims to reduce emissions in the city to 65% below 1990 levels by 2030 on the path to net-zero. Highlights from the plan include an accelerated schedule for updating the Toronto Green Standard, which will ensure 100% of new buildings are built to net zero standards by 2030. New 2030 targets are also now set for renewable energy generation, electric vehicle adoption, and low carbon district energy. To enhance community engagement and accountability in the city’s climate actions, the Energy and Environment division will establish a Climate Advisory Group, prioritizing the voices of equity-deserving groups, including youth, civil society organizations, labour groups, Indigenous rights holders, and urban Indigenous communities.
In the same meeting, council also passed an updated parking by-law which encourages active transportation over personal vehicles and requires all new residential parking spaces to be EV-ready, and established a net-zero by 2030 target and working group for the vehicle for hire industry that has potential to reduce carbon pollution from rideshare companies like Uber and Lyft.
Members of the community and stakeholders across multiple industries submitted close to 600 letters to Toronto Council in support of ambitious climate action in the city.
“Through hard work by city staff, council, and community members we now have an ambitious new target and plan to reduce the city’s emissions. Accelerating the pace and scale of on-the-ground implementation and investment is now required to meet the 2030 and 2040 targets in line with 1.5C. TAF is ready to roll up our sleeves and get to work with the city, public, private and community stakeholders to achieve the social, economic and environmental benefits of climate action.” — Julia Langer, CEO, The Atmospheric Fund
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About The Atmospheric Fund
The Atmospheric Fund (TAF) is a regional climate agency that invests in low-carbon solutions for the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area and helps scale them up for broad implementation. We are experienced leaders and collaborate with stakeholders in the private, public and non-profit sectors who have ideas and opportunities for reducing carbon emissions. Supported by endowment funds, we advance the most promising concepts by investing, providing grants, influencing policies and running programs. We’re particularly interested in ideas that offer benefits in addition to carbon reduction such as improving people’s health, creating local jobs, boosting urban resiliency, and contributing to a fair society.
Media contact:
Julie Leach, Communications Manager
Jleach@taf.ca | 416-393-6382
