On Tuesday Dec. 21, staff will present the Climate Leadership Plan to City Council. One of the first plans like it in Canada, the Climate Leadership Plan outlines more than 50 actions to address the climate emergency. These actions aim to help the City and community adapt to climate change impacts we are already experiencing and to reduce future changes by cutting greenhouse gas emissions to zero.
The plan has been built over the course of two years through extensive consultation with the community, interested parties, and climate change experts. The resulting document truly reflects the diversity of the community.
Wondering what the difference is between climate adaptation and climate mitigation? Climate change adaptation is when systems are adjusted to respond to climate changes we are already experiencing, such as extreme heat and increased rainfall. An example of a climate change adaptation is reinforcing shorelines to respond to flooding and erosion (see an example of this along our Lake Ontario shoreline!). Climate change mitigation is changing our habits to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Some ways to achieve these reductions include encouraging active transportation, creating more efficient buildings, and adjusting our diets to be more climate friendly.
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