London’s Climate Emergency Action Plan (CEAP)
The new Climate Emergency Action Plan is a community-wide plan to achieve three main goals:
Net-zero community greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2050
Improved resilience to climate change impacts
Bring everyone along (e.g., individuals, households, businesses, neighbourhoods)
2,700 people participated in the feedback sessions that created this plan.
Let’s all respond to the plan! Sign the pledge!
A look at the CEAP in small bites:
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Climate Change in London
Want to hear a summary of the CEAP? This presentation was given to Kiwanis Club-Forest City in Feb 2022. It covers:
Intro to climate change
Summary of the CEAP
Actions we can take
Access Passcode: vdnX@?*5
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Feb 6: Background info
How did the City develop the CEAP? The city engaged 2,700 people through the Climate Simulator at www.GetInvolved.London.ca/climate. What did Londoners have to say?
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Feb 14: the community plan
Responding to climate change will take action from everyone: residents, businesses, and the city. Find out what we need to do to reach net zero as a community.
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Feb 21: How will we fund it?
Responding to climate change will take investments. How do we find the money?
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City Councillors debate CEAP
Th Feb 8, 2022 meeting of the Strategic Priorities and Policy Committee is where the Climate Emergency Action Plan was presented. Hear what the different councillors had to say about the plan.
I pledge…
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...to talk about climate change
We know that climate change impacts all aspects of society.
If the city were to: use its “climate lens”. to tell us how each decision council makes impacts our climate targets, I would be better informed about how to talk to friends and family about decisions being made. Inspire others to talk about climate change by embedding climate conversations at city hall.
Then I would: Engage with feedback portals to tell politicians, community leaders and/or family and friends, my concerns, ask questions, talk about solutions.
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...to take action
Whether it is small or big actions, everything counts. But it is hard to take action when the action goes against the norm.
If the city were to: change development policies so that creating mixed use, intensive developments with ample natural spaces were cheaper and more attractive than single family sprawl.
Then I would: have more options to choose more sustainable actions.
(Check out our “Individual” page for more ideas for individual action.)
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...to reduce my home's emissions
For years now we have been encouraged to “switch to gas”. Now, moving off of using gas in our homes is seen as one of the ways to make the most impact on reducing emissions, however there is a lack of expertise yet in the marketplace. Electrifying our homes has the added benefit of improving the air quality in our homes.
If the city were to: require new homes to be heated without fossil fuels, and put regulations that ban the sale of new gas powered equipment, the availability of these products and expertise will increase and costs decrease.
Then I would: switch my gas powered appliances or equipment to electric, including lawn equipment, stoves, hot water tanks and furnace.
Conserving energy is another way to reduce emissions by add insulation, install solar panels, or do laundry in cold water.
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...to reduce my transportation emissions
How do we move away from cars when the city is designed around cars?
If the city were to: improve public transit by establishing bus rapid transit corridors throughout the city,
Then I would: find one place that I go to regularly where I can take transit instead of driving.
Buying a hybrid or electric vehicle helps too, but reducing car trips helps too: car pool, combine trips or walk/bike when you can.
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...to reduce my waste
Moving to a circular economy means finding opportunities for “waste” to become a “resource” for another industry.
If the city were to: accelerate the green bin program
Then I would: be able to compost my food waste.
Did you know:
- London has a packaging free grocery store: ReImagine Co?
-The city subsizes a variety of styles of composters for sale at each Enviro Depot?
Consider buying second hand. Give things away through “Buy Nothing” facebook groups. Check out the “Thing LIbrary” and borrow instead of buy.
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...help restore/protect nature
Capturing carbon in the soil and in plants/trees is an important action. We need more access to natural spaces within our communities for our own mental health.
If the city were to: protect and create more natural spaces in the community
Then I would: plant more native plants/trees in my property/community.
Adding native flowers, shrubs and trees to your yard helps feed the birds and butterflies. Consider supporting local non-profits who do this work such as ReForest London or Thames Talbot Land Trust.
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...to engage with city councillors to support and talk about climate action
We know we need to reduce our carbon emissions, but we all have different views on how to get there.
If the city were to: use the climate lens to identify how council decisions impact climate targets
Then I would: have a better understanding of how my city councillor’s votes reflect my views on climate change.
Ask your candidates for their views on climate change. Tell them it matters to you.
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...to become more climate resilient
Flooding has been identified as one of London’s greatest climate impacts. Actions that reduce water runoff into storm sewers and instead maximize the ground’s ability to absorb water, minimize flooding risks.
If the city were to: showcase practices like permeable pavement
Then I would: be inspired to make my property more resilient by reducing hard surfaces too.
Did you know that trees absorb a lot of rainfall, and gardens more than lawns?
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...work together to find solutions
It has been said that addressing climate change requires “all hands on deck”.
If the city were to: show a commitment to prioritizing projects with clear climate benefits
Then I would: support pilot projects like the Hefty Bag project.
Did you know the city is partnering with business and education to pilot opportunities to transform plastic waste to new products in the “Hefty Bag” program?
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...track my carbon footprint
Motivation to meet targets requires a clear understanding of where we are now, and tracking progress to defined goals.
If the city were to: publish meaningful metrics in “real time” so we can celebrate our successes as we reduce our footprint.
Then I would: see a more direct connection to daily life and climate targets.
Have you participated in the carbon calculator: Project Neutral London? Know how your household carbon footprint compares to others in the city.
London’s Draft CEAP
Subscribe to our Youtube channel to hear more about different parts of the climate plan and see what inspires you.
8. Resiliency
Focus Area #8 includes ideas on how to make your home more resilient. London is most susceptible to flooding, so doing things like replacing hard surfaces with permeable pavement will make your sidewalks less icy.
The City of London has released its draft Climate Action Plan which conceptualizes a very different London than we see today. Is this realistic? Have you heard the expression “you get more of what you focus on”? For many years, urban planning has focused on a dependence on cars and natural gas heating. This has happened through the use of development charges, building code requirements and investments in fossil fuel infrastructure. Yes, Londoners can take individual action, but until sustainable infrastructure is the norm, not the exception, it will continue to be out of the grasp of the average Londoner. We don’t see a future that is not car-centered because we have a created a city that depends on car travel.
Many of the changes illustrated by the draft plan will only come to be through leadership at the government level. Financial incentives create the path that will be needed to create the momentum needed to meet climate targets.
Too often, we look at investments such as bike lanes as targeted to only a minority of users. However, if you consider that as a car driver, it can be stressful to navigate city streets when bicycles are intermixed with car traffic, bike lanes help both those on the bike and in cars. Separating bikes into their own protected lanes will encourage more people to cycle (freeing the roads for less car congestion), improves the air quality for all and improves personal health. How many people currently use the protected bike lanes, you ask? Well, when a bike lane only covers a small portion of your cycling commute, it has little incentive. “Build it and they will come” - once we hit a critical mass of bike lanes that people can get where they need to go and feel safe - only then will we see a substantive shift.
This illustrates that many of these shifts will require the city to be the leader. How do we get more people to move to public transit when it is so difficult to use? How do you encourage more intensification of housing without more public parks and green spaces to replace lost back yards? How do you encourage more active transportation when you still require parking spaces for housing? Yes, individual actions can reduce our personal carbon footprints, but for the dramatic reductions required we will need governments at all levels to step up and show leadership.
In the city’s draft action plan, they address 10 Areas of Focus. What would you be willing to do if the city made it easier? Will you take a pledge to be part of the solution?