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7.4.9 Federal/National Programs

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7.4.9 Federal/National Programs

How Can You Make Choices That Treat the Earth Well

The Canadian Partners for Climate Protection (PCP) Program

http://www.iclei.org/CO2/index.htm

http://www.fcm.ca/english/national/programs/club/welcome.html

Did you know?· Since the industrial revolution, concentrations of carbon dioxide have increased by 30%, methane by 145%, and nitrous oxide by 15%. These are some of the major greenhouse gases (GHG) that contribute to climate change.

Cities Working Together

Cities are major contributors to climate change gases. In an effort to bring cities together to reduce the amount of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions they produce, the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) a working group of municipal and regional governments across Canada set out to form a “20% Club:” The primary objective of the club was to encourage municipalities to undertake a sustained effort to reduce their GHG emissions. They set a 20% reduction as the ultimate goal.

To strengthen their effort, the Federation of Canadian Municipalities joined forces with ICLEI, the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives in their Canadian Cities for Climate Protection™ Campaign. The two organizations named their joint effort The Canadian Partners for Climate Protection (PCP) Program. They will act together with the FCM as the political partner, helping to decide on climate change policies for municipalities. ICLEI will act as the technical partner, designing training programs, monitoring methods, and reporting procedures.

The Program will enable participating municipalities to use voluntary local initiatives to help reach Canadian national objectives on climate change.

Program Goals

The goals of the Canadian Partners for Climate Protection program are to:

  • Recruit and train participants
  • Provide program news and information on climate change science and participants’ experience
  • Facilitate participation
  • Build partnerships and support networking with supporting organizations
  • Ensure access to the program by sharing the experiences of cities world-wide through ICLEI’s global CCP (Cities for Climate Protection) Campaign™
  • Create model plans: assist in designing local action plans, ordinances, bylaws
  • Measure progress with surveys, monitor the milestones reached
  • Support champions: teach by the best examples
  • Give members feedback: report on what works, what doesn’t, what it costs, what it saves

How can a municipality join?

To become a member of the Partners for Climate Protection, a municipality must make a public commitment to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. The target is to lower their 1990 levels of municipal operations emissions by 20 per cent within 10 years of joining the program.

Members are also asked to make a second commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions for the community as a whole to at least six per cent below 1990 levels (the Kyoto Target) with 10 years of joining the program. These are ambitions targets to achieve.

Twenty Ontario municipalities are listed as members on the FCM website http://www.fcm.ca/english/national/programs/club/members.html

How will the PCP Work? Five Milestones

The PCP Program will follow a “five milestone process” for achieving measurable reductions of local greenhouse gases . The five milestones that the members are asked to meet are:

1. Calculate energy use and emissions for the base year of 1990 for municipal operations. Then calculate energy use and emissions community-wide.

2. Forecast energy use and emissions for 10 or 20 years in the future for municipal operations, and then for emissions community-wide.

3. Establish a reduction target. Preferred targets are 20 per cent reductions in greenhouse gas emissions from municipal operations within 10 years of joining the program, and a minimum of six per cent reductions in community-wide emissions within 10 years of joining the program.

4. Develop and finalize a local action plan that aims to, first of all, reduce emissions and energy use in municipal operations, and then expand to reduce emissions in the community. This local action plan will also incorporate public awareness and education campaigns.

5. Begin implementation of the local action plan, and measures that will reduce greenhouse gases.

To read the full details on this program, please visit the Federation of Canadian Municipalities’ website at http://www.fcm.ca/english/national/programs/club/club.html

Program Contact Information:

Sandor Derrick
Manager, Foundation Programs
Sustainable Communities and Environmental Policy Department
Federation of Canadian Municipalities
Telephone: (613) 241-5221, ext. 321
E-mail: sderrick@fcm.ca

Resources

International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI)
ICLEI’s mission is to build and serve a worldwide movement of local governments to achieve tangible improvements in global sustainability. Their work puts a special focus on environmental conditions through cumulative local actions
www.iclei.org/about.htm

Government Information: To learn more about what you can do to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, call the Environment Canada Inquiry Centre at 1-800-668-6767.

For more information on any of the projects detailed above, call Action 21 at the Environment Canada regional office nearest you: Ontario: 1-800-661-7785.

FCM 20% Club members play an important role in bringing national objectives on climate change together with local voluntary initiatives.

To learn more about what you can do to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, call the Environment Canada Inquiry Centre at 1-800-668-6767 (WHERE DID I GET THIS INFO???)

For more information on any of the projects detailed above, call Action 21 at the Environment Canada regional office nearest you:

Atlantic: 1-800-663-5755
Quebec: 1-800-463-4311
Ontario: 1-800-661-7785
Manitoba & Saskatchewan: 1-800-665-7135
Alberta & NWT: 1-800-567-1570
Pacific & Yukon: 1-800-667-7779

ACTIVITY

ACTIVITY 1

  1. What does a municipality have to promise to become a member of PCP?
  2. What are the ‘ Five Milestones’ that achieve MEASUREABLE reductions in greenhouse gases?
  3. What would be an important step to take to implement a local action plan in a municipality?

ACTIVITY 2

WRITE THIS UP AS A SofE for Cities! Find Website

Mention the importance of VOTING for mayoral candidates who support greening cities including reducing carbon dioxide!

The 20% Club and the Federation of Canadian Municipalities: The Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) has been a leader in engaging municipalities in climate change through the 20% Club (a group of more than 30 municipalities who have made commitments to reduce their climate change emissions). With support from Environment Canada, the FCM will develop new information and tools for members of the Club, including: an interactive web site, best practices in emission reduction, tool kits for engaging the broader community, and a recognition program for municipal achievements.

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