This December, the City of Toronto released two important climate reports. The first showed that weather in Toronto is projected to get hotter, wetter, and weirder over the coming decades as the climate continues to shift. The second showed that the City is behind on its climate change goals and will likely miss meeting its 2025 short-term targets on the way to Net Zero by 2040.

We have been expecting this for some time. For years now, climate projections have been showing us that a warmer planet will lead to more extreme heat and flooding in the Toronto area. We also know that the Covid-19 pandemic significantly reduced emissions in areas such as transportation on a short-term basis, so an increase in emissions from activities such as transportation was likely.

Still, the news is not good. Thankfully, while we know that emissions went up in 2022 (the last year of data the City of Toronto has access to), and that we can be expecting more extreme weather, we also know very well what Toronto needs to do in order to cut emissions and to protect people from extreme weather impacts.

1. We must modernize all buildings - new and existing — with heat pumps and other cleaner sources of energy, and away from fossil gas. Often marketed as ‘natural gas’, fossil gas is actually the largest source of global warming pollution in the City — more than half of all of Toronto’s emissions. The City will be putting  a plan on the table this year to transform existing buildings with new climate safe standards, and will also be bringing forward the next stage of the Toronto Green Standards for new buildings.
   
   
2. We need to significantly improve and expand ways for more people to get where they need to go without relying on cars. Toronto is a world-class city, and we need a world-class transit system that is more reliable, accessible, and affordable. City Council has recently voted to fund budget enhancements which have helped improve and expand transit. We need to see that trend accelerate. In 2025, City Council will also be deciding on whether to approve a commercial parking levy which could provide significant funding to improve transit. Additionally, we need to convert more streets into pedestrian-, bike-, and transit-first streets. Cities like New York, Montreal, Paris, and others are realizing that streets can move far more people more efficiently when walking, cycling, and transit are prioritized. The King Street streetcar right-of-way and the RapidTO bus-only lanes in Scarborough are good first steps. But we need to work faster.
   
   
3. Toronto needs to produce and store more clean energy locally instead of relying on the gas-fired power plants that are making Ontario’s electricity supply much dirtier. Toronto can produce more renewable energy locally with wind, solar, and other renewables, and must store more electricity and power in the City itself. One great example of this is the City’s lake cooling and heating system that uses temperature differences in Lake Ontario to heat and cool buildings across the City, including City Hall and the Ontario Legislature. More solar panels and energy storage through batteries in buildings will make electricity cheaper for all. Toronto Hydro and the City of Toronto both have an important role in accelerating the City’s local clean energy supply and storage.
   
   
4. We need to protect Torontonians from increasing extreme heat, flooding, and wild weather. Among other things, that means ensuring that indoor spaces are cool during heat waves, as extreme indoor temperatures are quickly becoming more deadly than cold snaps. City Council has just called for a report on how to implement a bylaw that would limit indoor temperatures to no more than 26ºC. Toronto needs to move on that quickly. More immediately, we need programs to ensure that Torontonians are protected should the City be hit with an extreme heat event this summer, which is likely.
   
   
5. Toronto needs a transformative increase in the amount of green spaces and trees. Exposed pavement holds heat, making the City around us hotter — pavement exposed to summer sunlight can be 20ºC hotter than green spaces. These green spaces can also host trees which will provide valuable shade as climate change makes the city hotter. And bonus - they absorb carbon too! Pavement also significantly increases stormwater runoff, leading to more flooding across the City. Toronto must convert underused pavement into green spaces that both cool the city down while absorbing stormwater runoff to reduce flood risks.
   
   
6. Reduce waste. Waste adds to our city carbon footprint, whether it's through the very carbon intensive process of making plastics, or through the methane produced by organics in our landfill. One of the best ways to reduce emissions is to avoid creating them in the first place - by reducing the need for single-use items and shifting to reusables. Cutting waste will help make our city cleaner, greener and more climate friendly.

All the solutions we need to solve climate change are already with us. And millions around the world are working every day to reduce emissions, cut oil, gas and other fossil fuels, and protect everyone from increasing extreme weather events. The challenge facing us is no longer if this is technically possible — it’s how quickly and equitably we can implement them in a way that will benefit all Torontonians.