class 9.1 Flashcards
PATTERNS IN URBAN GHG EMISSIONS
Cities produce higher total emissions than rural or semi-rural areas.
Per capita emissions are lower in cities than in rural or semi-rural areas.
Reflects effects of population density and compactness in the built environment
variations in the greenhouse emissions are shaped by what?
social factors
economic factors
physical factors
relationship between population and emissions
positive
Most urban growth to 2050 will be where?
Africa and Asia
relationship between wealthier households (cities) and emissions
why?
positive
they require more energy
Countries with high urbanization (+75%) have low or high national incomes?
high national incomes
Countries with low urbanization (-35%) have low or high national incomes?
low national incomes
what happens to emissions when countries urbanize?
they usually increase
INDUSTRIAL BASE and energy demand
The presence of large manufacturing, construction, industrial production sectors increases energy demand.
Service sectors may also produce large emissions, but these require a different approach to emissions tracking.
LOCAL ENVIRONMENT and the demand for energy?
There are significant variations in energy demand for heating and cooling depending on the region
REGIONAL ENERGY SYSTEMS
Differences in per capita emissions across Canada heavily driven by provincial energy systems.
Demonstrates dependence of urban emissions reductions on climate action from other levels of government
Energy demand from buildings drives about how much of global
emissions
20%
Embodied energy in buildings
Building materials and construction
Operational energy in buildings
Heating, cooling, lighting
High-density residential buildings have lower or higher embodied energy?
what about per capita emissions?
higher embodied energy
lower per capita emissions than low-density residential buildings
TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS
Often the largest source of urban emissions, and one of the fastest growing sectors.
In cities the cause of this is obvious – car dependence.
Key mitigation goals for transportation system emissions
Vehicle electrification and reduction in Vehicle Kilometers Traveled (VKT)
Urban expansion can happen in three ways:
- Outward – conversion of croplands, forests, etc. to urban land area
- Upward – multi-story buildings
- Inward – re-development of unused/underused lands
URBAN CLIMATE ACTION PLANNING OFTEN TAKES THE FORM OF WHAT?
STRATEGIC PLANNING
Climate action planning
the strategic planning process in which cities develop policies and programs of action to reduce their emissions and/or adapt to impacts of climate change
Two general approaches to climate action planning
- Stand-alone plans
- Integrating climate change into existing comprehensive development plans
CLIMATE ACTION PLANNING HAS MULTIPLE FUNCTIONS
- Identify and prioritize actions
- Create accountability
- Bring stakeholders together
- Inform the public
- Integrate climate change into other strategic areas
- Identify co-benefits to climate action
- Represent a city’s commitment on climate change
GHG emissions in montreal in 2015 compared to 1990
reduced by 25%
the main GHG emissions in Montreal come from where
natural gas from stationary sources sector and transportation
vision for montreal by 2050
to become a carbon neutral city
the plan for Montreals vision
- Mobilization of the community
- Mobility, urban planning, and urban development
- Buildings
- exemplarity of the city
- governance
Mitigation
actions we take to reduce and ultimately eliminate GHG emissions
mitigation tactics
Decarbonizing fuels & electricity – energy supply
Decarbonizing energy end use – energy demand
HOW DO CITIES DECIDE ON CLIMATE POLICY?
Local context is key!
What are the major sources of emissions?
What are cities already doing to reduce emissions?
What is going on in the background?
–> Is population growing or shrinking?
–> What is the economic basis of the city?
–> What does the building stock look like?
–> What does the transportation system look
like?
MITIGATION ENTRY-POINTS FOR CITIES
Land use and zoning powers
Buildings
Infrastructure
Transportation demand management
Corporate operations
MITIGATION ENTRY-POINTS FOR CITIES
Land use and zoning powers
- Level of housing density
- Parking space allocations
- Creating new types of higher density zoning
MITIGATION ENTRY-POINTS FOR CITIES
Buildings
- Regulating building materials
- Design guidelines
- Energy and water system requirements
MITIGATION ENTRY-POINTS FOR CITIES
Infrastructure
- Bike share systems & cycling infrastructure
- Sewage and sanitation
- Curb-side waste management
Transportation demand management
- Congestion charging
- Restrictions on vehicle use
- Parking restrictions
Corporate operations
- Municipal buildings
- Municipal vehicle fleets
WHAT KIND OF POLICY TOOLS CAN CITIES USE FOR MITIGATION?
Authority
Voluntary encouragement
Economic (dis)incentives
Organizational
examples of authority for mitigation
- Mandates
- Regulations
- Development permitting
examples of voluntary encouragement for mitigation
- Public education campaigns
- Partnering with businesses or NGOs
examples of Economic (dis)incentives for mitigation
- Taxes
- Fines
- Subsidies/grants
- Development fees
examples of Organizational processes for mitigation
- Pilot projects
- Municipal assets
- Staff training and education
TRANSIT-ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT
Create high density, mixed-used nodes within a 5-10 minute walk of high frequency transit stations.
Aims to increase transit ridership and local businesses.
Often necessary to make the business case for higher density development.
CITY OF TORONTO GREEN ROOF BYLAW
Requires the installation of green roofs on any new development +2,000 m2 that cover 20-60% surface area
benefits of Toronto green roof bylaw
stormwater management
air quality
energy efficiency
UHI reduction
public space improvement
drawbacks of Toronto green roof bylaw
costly
not suited to all building types
expensive to maintain
alternative to Toronto green roof bylaw
a white roof bylaw
BC BUILDING CODE UPDATES
All new buildings must be zero carbon by 2030
how are all new buildings supposed to be zero carbon by 2030 in BC?
Ø Clean Buildings Tax Credit to encourage retrofits in multi-unit buildings
Ø Sales tax exemptions for heat pumps
Ø CleanBC Better Homes Low-Interest Financing Program provides zero- interest loans to move from fossil fuel heating to heat pumps
Ø CleanBC Building Innovation Fund creates incentives for commercialization of new building technologies, designs, and practices to scale up zero carbon building solutions
Ø Municipalities can set carbon pollution performance standards for new buildings
CANADA GREENER HOMES INITIATIVE
Federal subsidy & loan program for home retrofits to improve energy efficiency
(e.g. window replacement, insulation, heat pump installation, solar panels, furnaces).
challenges to the Canada Greener Homes Initiative
Accessing licensed evaluators and installers in rural/remote areas is not easy
Only benefits property owners
Need to afford paying up front
LEED BUILDING CERTIFICATION
Green building certification program created by the U.S. Green Building Council (a non-profit).
Design tool that encourages developers and builders to follow sustainable building practices.
Primarily a voluntary program, sometimes integrated into municipal bylaws or approvals.
LOCAL DISTRICT ENERGY SYSTEMS
District energy produces energy in a neighbourhood-scale energy center,
then distributes it through residential, commercial, and institutional buildings to meet hot water and heating demands
energy sources in energy systems can come from where?
sewer heat recovery
geothermal heating
wood waste
waste heat
CARBON SEQUESTRATION
capturing carbon and storing in “carbon sinks
ow do they choose among different actions to reduce GHG?
Likely effectiveness (e.g. emissions reduction potential)
Feasibility (e.g. jurisdiction and authority, institutional capacity, social acceptability, timeline)
Costs
Potential to achieving co-benefits
HOW DO WE ACHIEVE EMISSIONS REDUCTIONS IN SUBURB AN AREAS?
studies find that cities can achieve emissions reductions in residential development even if there aren’t rapid transit options in a neighborhood
so, expand transit to there
