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City of Hamilton - Planning & Economic Development
Climate Change
Global climate change is expected to increase the average global temperature of air and oceans, melt glaciers, increase sea levels, and increase the number and intensity of extreme weather events that result in heat waves, droughts, flooding and soil erosion. These changes have already begun. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has concluded that the warming of the northern hemisphere during the 20th century is likely to have been the greatest in any century in the past 1000 years.
Human activities affect climate change primarily by causing an increase in emissions of "greenhouse gases" (GHGs). Municipal governments are recognized as having a key role to play in the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions through direct actions and indirect influence on the community. The City of Hamilton is a member of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities' Partners for Climate Protection program, and has been participating with other municipalities in building the capacity of municipalities to address the challenge of meeting Canada's commitments to the Kyoto Protocol.
The city is taking action to reduce emissions and adapt to climate change. In 2004, the City completed a Climate Change Vulnerability Background Study for the GRIDS growth strategy. This study begins to identify, in broad terms, Hamilton's particular vulnerability to climate change, and the actions that must be considered to further identify and mitigate the impacts of climate change on the community. The City has also developed a Corporate Air Quality and Climate Change Action Plan that will provide a framework to help the city achieve the 20% target in its municipal operations by 2020. In 2008, the City released Phase 2 of the Corporate Air Quality and Climate Change Strategic Plan and is undertaking an emissions inventory of Hamilton. This is an important step towards the implementation of a City-wide Air Quality & Climate Change Plan.
VISION 2020 Goals for Climate Change:
- To ensure the City has the best air quality of any major urban centre in Ontario
- To have effective plans that identify, reduce and manage risks
- To reduce greenhouse gas emissions
See the full list of Hamilton's VISION 2020 Goals
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