Climate Change

"Climate change" refers to the long-term changes in weather patterns caused by human activities and other factors. "Global warming" is a measure of climate change and describes the increase in the earth's average temperature over time. Over the last 100 years, human activities, such as burning fossil fuels and deforestation, have increased greenhouse gases (GHGs) in the air which contributes to global warming.

According to the Province of Ontario, possible effects of continued climate change include:

• Extreme weather events, such as heavy rains, flooding, extreme heat and long droughts
• Poor air quality
• Stressed and vulnerable ecosystems, wildlife and habitats
• Public health risks from an increase in warmer weather, more flooding and insect-borne diseases
• Increased damage to public infrastructure, such as sidewalks, roads and bridges

What can we do?

There are two ways to reduce the effects of climate change:

Mitigation

By reducing GHG emissions, we can slow down climate change. In Richmond Hill, we focus on reducing GHG emissions and improving air quality through the use and promotion of sustainable energy and transportation.

Adaptation

In Richmond Hill, we're building innovative stormwater management facilities to help prevent flooding and improve water quality. We're also planting trees and restoring our natural areas. These actions help to prevent or reduce possible damage from environmental stress and severe weather events.

Corporate GHG emissions

Richmond Hill has significantly reduced GHG emissions from corporate activities. We have a five-year Energy Conservation and Demand Management Plan that follows the Green Energy Act and the Ontario Ministry of Energy's Regulation 397/11. This Plan, which is reviewed each year, identifies the best opportunities to conserve and lower energy use and GHG emissions in Richmond Hill facilities.

Community GHG emissions

Our Community GHG Emissions Inventory Report shows that Richmond Hill lowered its community GHG emissions by 32 per cent per person between 2000 and 2012. Although our population increased by 51 per cent during this time, our overall GHG emissions only increased by 2 per cent. The reduction per person was a result of:

• Increased use and development of public transit
• Changes to the Ontario Building Code that encourage energy efficiency and conservation
• A move to cleaner electricity sources in Ontario, including the phase-out of coal-fired electricity generation

Partners for Climate Protection Program

Richmond Hill joined the Federation of Canadian Municipalities' (FCM) Partners for Climate Protection (PCP) Program in 2000. The Program has more than 250 Canadian municipalities committed to lowering GHG emissions. There are five milestones in the Program that encourage municipalities to:

• Inventory and forecast GHG emissions
• Set GHG emissions reduction targets
• Develop local action plans
• Implement local action plans or a set of activities
• Monitor and report results of their action plans

Richmond Hill's efforts and significant reduction in corporate GHG emissions made us the first municipality in Ontario to complete the final milestone of the Corporate PCP Program. In 2015, Richmond Hill also completed the fifth and final milestone of the PCP's Community Program.