2021 YEAR IN REVIEW
22
Dec 2021

2021 YEAR IN REVIEW

In 2021, extreme weather events at home and around the world brought the climate emergency to the forefront, underscoring the urgent need for transformative action that rapidly reduces emissions across all sectors of society.

Political will is starting to shift in response to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) appeal for “immediate, rapid and large-scale reductions in greenhouse gas emissions” to limit global warming to 1.5°C. We’ve seen a deeper interest in meaningful climate action, including a groundswell of renewed local government commitments.

Big policy moves have been proposed by multiple levels of government to support more complete, compact rural and urban communities across Canada. The BC Government’s Roadmap to 2030 outlines a plan to support municipalities on better land use planning that’s integrated with transportation infrastructure and natural assets. At the local level, many municipalities are exploring policies that will increase the supply of affordable, low carbon housing in walkable, compact neighbourhoods.

Over the past year, Renewable Cities advised local, provincial and federal governments on low-cost, high-impact climate policies to support the urban energy transition. Our team provided analysis and recommendations for policy innovations on multiple initiatives, including:

In the Metro Vancouver region, Renewable Cities led the development of a new centre for climate innovations and engaged on regional climate action initiatives:

Renewable Cities, at SFU’s Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue, teamed up with WCS Engagement + Planning, Rhiza Capital, and Lidstone & Company to establish the Metro Vancouver Zero Emission Innovation Centre, one of seven Low Carbon Cities Canada (LC3) centres across Canada. This new organization will accelerate urban climate solutions across the region through research, capacity building, policy reform and innovative financial tools.

Renewable Cities ran stakeholder engagement and was a senior advisor for Metro Vancouver’s Carbon Neutral 2050 Policy Mapping project led by Licker Geospatial, hosting workshops with public sector stakeholders on strategies for meeting Metro Vancouver’s 2030 and 2050 targets.

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