Environmentalists don't see Regina pushing on climate change front
On the heels of the Paris Climate Change Conference, governments at all levels are looking inward, parsing what role they have to play.
The City of Regina is no exception: The municipality has been in this game a while and considers itself a leader in this area.
But local environmental experts see a lag in municipal efforts at a time when the issue — and the globe — are heating up.
A strong start
Regina’s climate change commitment dates back two decades, when it became the third Canadian city to sign on to a climate protection program with the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM).
In 1994, city council set a target to reduce community greenhouse gas emissions six per cent below 1990 levels by 2012. It also eyed reducing corporate emissions 20 per cent below 1990 levels by 2005, then an additional one per cent per year until 2012. (That target was eventually revised to 15 per cent below 1990 levels by 2012.)
Ten years later, the city produced a Community Greenhouse Gas Emission Reduction Action Plan with specific recommendations.
Joseph Piwowar, Canada Research Chair in geomatics and sustainability at the University of Regina, remembers the “strong initiative” by the city. He found the plan “ambitious.”
But, he said, “I think that’s tapered off in the past few years.”
Then a lag?
This year, FCM recognized Regina for successfully completing its climate program milestones. It produced a final report on its progress, posted to the city’s website without fanfare — something interim city manager Ed Archer chalked up to the municipality being more focused on its actions than publicity.
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Environmentalists don’t see Regina pushing on climate change front | Regina Leader-Post
On the heels of the Paris Climate Change Conference, governments at all levels are looking inward, parsing what role they have to play.
The City of Regina is no exception: The municipality has been in this game a while and considers itself a leader in this area.
But local environmental experts see a lag in municipal efforts at a time when the issue — and the globe — are heating up.
A strong start
Regina’s climate change commitment dates back two decades, when it became the third Canadian city to sign on to a climate protection program with the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM).
In 1994, city council set a target to reduce community greenhouse gas emissions six per cent below 1990 levels by 2012. It also eyed reducing corporate emissions 20 per cent below 1990 levels by 2005, then an additional one per cent per year until 2012. (That target was eventually revised to 15 per cent below 1990 levels by 2012.)
Ten years later, the city produced a Community Greenhouse Gas Emission Reduction Action Plan with specific recommendations.
Joseph Piwowar, Canada Research Chair in geomatics and sustainability at the University of Regina, remembers the “strong initiative” by the city. He found the plan “ambitious.”
But, he said, “I think that’s tapered off in the past few years.”
Then a lag?
This year, FCM recognized Regina for successfully completing its climate program milestones. It produced a final report on its progress, posted to the city’s website without fanfare — something interim city manager Ed Archer chalked up to the municipality being more focused on its actions than publicity.
..more...
Environmentalists don’t see Regina pushing on climate change front | Regina Leader-Post