Our community is working together to achieve Waterloo Region’s our long-term goal of an 80% greenhouse gas emission reduction (based on 2010 levels) by 2050 (80by50). The TransformWR strategy outlines our community’s pathway to 80by50, and identifies local actions that can be taken in Waterloo Region to reduce emissions 30% by 2030.
In June 2021, all eight area municipalities in Waterloo Region endorsed TransformWR: Waterloo Region’s Transition to an Equitable, Prosperous, Resilient, Low Carbon Community. With a strong climate action plan, our councils unanimously adopted an additional ambitious and science-backed short-term community goal to achieve a 50% greenhouse gas reduction by 2030.
Throughout 2009 and 2010, Reep Green Solutions, Sustainable Waterloo Region, the Region of Waterloo, and the University of Waterloo conducted an initial study on a community greenhouse gas action plan and reduction target.
This report uses 2010 as a baseline year and summarizes the inventory process, greenhouse gas emissions data collected, and 10-year emission forecast out to the year 2020. *The data was updated in March 2013 to reflect a reassessment of the transportation sector emissions.
This Climate Action Plan, which was approved and endorsed by the municipalities, aims to reduce local greenhouse gas emissions by 6% below 2010 levels by 2020. The plan was published in partnership with the Region of Waterloo and Cities of Cambridge, Kitchener, and Waterloo.
Our Progress, Our Path, which was published in 2017, outlines the changes in Waterloo Region’s carbon footprint between 2010 and 2015.
All 8 municipalities endorsed an 80% GHG reduction target to be achieved by 2050. Due to the large-scale collaboration of this work, we were granted 1 of only 13 Transition 2050 Grants from the Federation of Canadian Municipalities to embark on what would become the 2.5 year journey of developing TransformWR: our community’s long-term strategy to achieve the ‘80by50’ target, as well as lay out the groundwork for the first 10 years.
In 2021, the TransformWR long term strategy and short term plan was completed and brought to all eight local municipalities for their endorsement. Next, we will complete another re-inventory of Waterloo Region’s GHG emissions to learn the results of our latest progress towards achieving the community’s emission reduction targets.
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