Carbon reduction

Three key climate measures for Toronto’s 2022 budget

2/2022 - Council will vote on the City Budget this Thursday: what do we want to see most? To continue its role as a climate leader, Toronto needs to shift to implementation in top three climate priority areas: Climate Lens Policy, electrification of public bus fleets, and green development standards.

Hybrid heat pumps can be a stopgap to an electric future

2/2022 - New case studies show the promise of hybrid heat pumps in the GTHA, and Erik Jansen of TRCA explores the upsides and downsides of the technology.

EV Station Fund will support priority EV charging in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area

1/2022 - The Atmospheric Fund (TAF) launched the “EV Station Fund” to support installation of up to 294 charging stations across the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA).

Hamilton still tops per-person carbon emissions in GTA despite pandemic slowdown

12/2021 - THE HAMILTON SPECTATOR - The latest carbon-tracking study from the Atmospheric Fund found emissions in the GTA and Hamilton fell 13 per cent in 2020 as a direct result of a “historic reduction” in vehicle use and industrial output due to COVID-19.

In a wave of ambitious new climate pledges, GTHA emissions continue to rise

12/2021 - The Atmospheric Fund (TAF) today published the sources and amounts of carbon emissions in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA). This year’s regional inventory includes two years of data (2019 and 2020) and provides the first look at emissions since the global pandemic.

Toronto environmentalists demand action as UN climate conference begins

11/2021 - CBC - "The state of play is that we're kind of flat-lining when we actually need to be steeply declining our emissions," says TAF CEO Julia Langer.

How To Heat Your Home Without Heating The Planet

11/2021 - CHATELAINE - CEO Julia Langer discusses practical and inspiring reasons to make the switch to heat pumps. "It's not that complicated - you don’t need fossil fuels to heat your home."

Ontario’s repeated failure to produce a natural gas conservation plan

9/2021 - The Ontario Energy Board delayed approving a new natural gas conservation plan, extended the old framework to 2022, and froze the budget without even adjusting for inflation. Real investment in gas conservation shrinks, even while diverse voices make a case for increasing investment in cost-effective conservation.

Investing for climate and the tough search for the right deals

8/2021 - We’re seeing a lot of deal flow in the impact investing space but finding quality deals that achieve the intended impact can be a challenge. Tracy Haynes, TAF’s Investor Partnerships Manager provides insights and experiences about how transparency, patience, and partnerships can unlock new opportunities.

WoodGreen breaks new ground on social housing with energy-saving project

8/2021 - NOW - WoodGreen commissioned Efficiency Capital to fund, develop, and implement a building retrofit plan, bringing in engineering firms SensorSuite Inc. and Finn Projects to do much-needed capital upgrades to the buildings. The project was funded by Efficiency Capital and The Atmospheric Fund, the City of Toronto’s Better Building Partnerships loans, and WoodGreen’s capital reserves.

New strategies for navigating the net zero river delta

5/2021 - Searching for the path to net zero is a bit like trying to navigate the multiple strands of a rich and vibrant river delta. Based on a recent grant-funding project, TAF reflects on three insights to consider in this diverse and complex path.

‘Increase in mortality’: Troubling new numbers in Burlington climate change emergency

4/2021 - INSIDE HALTON - Halton is not on track to reach its 2030 and 2050 climate targets. In fact, emissions actually increased seven per cent year-over-year, according to TAF's latest carbon emissions inventory of the Greater Toronto and Hamilton area.