We are developing a Climate and Environment Strategy to help us become a resilient and sustainable City where everyone thrives.
The City of North Vancouver is developing a Climate and Environment Strategy (CES) to eliminate carbon pollution and promote a healthy environment. It will be our playbook for planning and making decisions that prioritize the climate and environment today and over the next decade.
Why a Climate & Environment Strategy?
Our climate is changing at a rapid and unprecedented rate. We see the impacts in our City more and more each year with hotter, drier summers, poorer air quality from wildfires, and wetter winters. At the same time, we are seeing loss of habitat, rapid decline of species, and threats to food production globally due to development, exploitation of natural resources, and climate disruption. We need to take action to reduce our carbon pollution to limit warming and potentially irreversible effects of climate change.
In February 2019, based on the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) guidance, the City adopted new community-wide targets to cut our carbon pollution:
80% reduction below 2007 levels by 2040
100% reduction or net zero carbon pollution by 2050
The Climate and Environment Strategy will provide strong actions that reflect current scientific research, public concerns and priorities, and evolving best practices to respond to the climate crisis. You can learn more about the CES by reading our Survey Guide.
What will the Strategy do?
The Strategy will provide:
a vision for a resilient and sustainable future;
goals to help us support the vision and respond to the climate and nature crises; and
strategies to cut our carbon pollution and promote a healthy environment.
The CES will align with the City's 2014 Official Community Plan and bring together previous plans and policies into a single, cohesive plan with implementable actions.
What’s the Process?
We’re currently in Phase 2 of the process to build our Strategy. We need your feedback on the draft vision, goals, and strategies that will form the basis of the plan. Input will be used to help refine this framework and ensure it reflects the values and priorities of our community.
Our City Today
Our Carbon Pollution
Our Natural Environment
Two important indicators of ecological health and resiliency are tree canopy cover and impervious surfaces:
Our tree canopy cover is below the regional average, but higher than some jurisdictions of similar density.
Our percentage of impervious surfaces is higher than the regional average and comparable to jurisdictions of similar density.
Equity and Reconciliation
Climate change impacts some people more than others. Locally and globally, people facing systemic discrimination, poverty, and lack of services are those most affected by climate change.
As we transition towards a low carbon community, we must ensure that we are equitable in applying solutions so that the benefits of a greener economy and a cleaner environment are shared by everyone.
Strategy Overview
Draft Vision
A resilient and sustainable City where everyone thrives.
Our vision sits atop the draft framework pyramid to act as an aspirational guide to the plan, supported by goals and strategies. It paints a picture of a healthy, green and low carbon City that is well-equipped to navigate a rapidly changing future for generations to come, and where the benefits of a clean environment are shared by everyone.
Draft Goals
Draft Strategies
The 20 emerging strategies are broad statements that provide direction towards achieving the goals. They are organized under four themes:
Our Pathway to Net Zero
Cutting carbon pollution from major sources in the City to achieve our interim targets and net zero by 2050
- Accelerate low carbon building retrofits
- De-carbonize district energy
- Make new buildings net zero
- Accelerate the transition to zero emission vehicles
- Reduce waste going to landfill
- Increase carbon capture
Resilient Ecosystems and City
Preparing ourselves and our natural systems for a more resilient future in light of climate change
- Enhance our natural systems
- Increase water conservation
- Improve water quality
- Expand and protect our urban forest
- Make new development resilient
- Improve citizen resilience
Empowered Choices and Awareness
Learning and taking action together to reduce our local and global ecological footprint
- Grow awareness of low impact consumer choices
- Transition towards a circular economy
- Reduce embodied carbon in new construction
- Increase construction and demolition waste diversion
- Expand urban agriculture and food recovery
Leading by Example
Fostering environmental leadership within our community and organization to inspire transformative change
- Make civic buildings low carbon and resilient
- Transition to low carbon fleet
- Implement sustainable procurement and financial processes
- Invest in climate leadership