Kingston on Track to Achieve 2020 Climate Action Goal

Published on: 2018/02/06 - in Science & Tech

Kingston City Hall

According to a City release, the Kingston Climate Action Plan (KCAP) is set to deliver good news to Kingston City Council tonight.

According to KCAP – a community-developed set of strategies that guide efforts throughout the region to reduce greenhouse gas emissions – its newest update reveals overall emissions in Kingston have dropped by 12 percent since 2011.

While this good news means the community is on track to reach a target of 15 per cent by 2020, KCAP’s update cautions that additional efforts will be needed to achieve a 30 percent reduction in overall emission levels by 2030.

“We are proud to report on the progress and successes we have seen in Kingston since the introduction of the Kingston Climate Action Plan in 2014,’ said the City’s environment director, Paul McLatchy. “Ontario’s move away from coal-fired electricity plants has put us on track to achieve our 2020 goal.”

McLatchy added that the City looks forward to continuing the community conversation around the roles that public transportation, electric vehicles, urban intensification and the generation of renewable natural gas can play.

Natural gas usage reportedly accounts for more than half of emissions in Kingston and new initiatives include using organic materials to generate ‘’renewable’’ natural gas (RNG) that have considerably lower emissions.

KCAP recommends City staff partner with Utilities Kingston and assess how community-generated organic waste, including the green bin program and industrial waste, can be used to generate RNG’S.

City Council will be asked to consider this recommendation at the meeting tonight.


PhotoDoug Kerr (cc)