Measure Description
City Operations’ Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions measures
the amount of GHG emissions from City Operations including
buildings and other facilities owned by the City, as well as streetlights, vehicle fleet,
transit fleet, solid waste management and GHG emissions from
landfills. The measure also includes an estimate of the reduction
in GHG emissions generated by trees the City maintains, and (beginning in 2013) the emissions saved by the City’s purchase of
green electricity. Data on energy consumption and emissions is collected from third parties, the urban tree inventory, landfill hauler summary reports for waste loads hauled to landfills by contractors, and the landfill waste degradation models.
Measure Importance
Climate change due to an increase in GHG emissions impacts Edmontonians’
long-term quality of life. The City wants to take a leadership position in
reducing and monitoring its emissions in order to encourage Edmontonians
and other municipalities to do the same.
Historical Data
Data sources: City Environmental Strategies coordinates the collection of data from all internal groups at the City of Edmonton, the Edmonton Police Service, and EPCOR. Information on emissions from contracted services is provided by City Operations staff.
Explanation of Performance
In 2019 City Operations’ GHG emissions totaled 324 thousand tCO2e (tonnes
of carbon dioxide), which was reduced from 447 thousand tCO2e (a reduction of 28 percent) through the
procurement of green electricity and the sequestration of CO2 in the urban forest.
Did You Know?
Edmonton has a Community Energy Transition Strategy that is being used to transform Edmonton into an energy sustainable city. The purpose of this strategy is to:
The Energy Transition Strategy is currently being updated to reflect the most recent scientific knowledge about climate change, and to ensure Edmonton's climate change mitigation efforts continue to be world-leading.
Useful Links
Learn more about Edmonton's GHG Management Plan for City Operations.
Learn more about Edmonton's Community Energy Transition Strategy
Learn more about the research that will inform updates to the Energy Transition Strategy: 2020 Energy Transition Strategy Update: Policy Briefs