City of Burlington Joins Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy Showcase Cities Pilot in Canada
*Please see below a media release from the City of Burlington.
Burlington, Ont. — Dec. 18, 2019 — The City of Burlington is among twenty-five municipalities across Canada selected to participate in a pilot program with the leading global climate initiative.Burlington was selected to join the first Showcase Cities cohort led by the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy (GCoM) Canada. Over the next year, Burlington will receive support from GCOM on its Strategic Plan commitment to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and adapt to climate change.Municipalities are on the front lines of climate change, and through this pilot project which includes technical support, training, exclusive networking opportunities and access to tools and resources, Burlington will advance its ambitious community climate action objectives.The Global Covenant of Mayors Canada is a collaboration among the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM), International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives - ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability, the Global Covenant of Mayors Secretariat and the International Urban Cooperation Project supported by funding from the European Union.
"Together, we are creating ambitious plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and preparing our communities for the impacts of a changing climate." — Megan Meaney, Executive Director of the Canada office of ICLEI
The initiative combines two leading domestic climate programs, the Partners for Climate Protection (PCP) program and Building Adaptive and Resilient Communities (BARC), with the leading global climate program. The GCoM Canada is piloting this approach, which will build on FCM and ICLEI’s more than 25 years’ experience in delivering climate change programs in Canada. About the Global Covenant of Mayors Canada partners
- The Federation of Canadian Municipalities is the national voice of municipal governments, with nearly 2,000 members representing more than 90 per cent of the Canadian population.
- ICLEI- Local Governments for Sustainability is an international association of local governments committed to sustainability.
- The International Urban Cooperation (IUC) programme is part of a long-term strategy by the European Union to foster sustainable urban development in cooperation with both the public and private sectors.
- The Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy (GCoM) is the largest global alliance for climate leadership, uniting a global coalition of nearly 10,000 cities and local governments. By 2030, GCoM cities and local governments could collectively reduce 1.3 billion tons of CO2 emissions per year. That’s the equivalent of taking 276 million cars off the road.
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MAYOR MEED WARD'S TAKE:Municipalities, like Burlington, are leading the way on low-carbon initiatives— from building retrofits to greening our transit fleets. Municipalities are the source of half of Canada’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, so implementing as many changes under a climate lens is key to meeting Canada’s climate targets. Burlington is finalizing our community Climate Action Plan where key programs will focus on deep-energy retrofits of existing buildings, low-carbon designs for new buildings, use of renewable energy wherever possible, and working towards a modal split and electric transportation. Burlington has already done much, but more is needed and that is why the development of a new Climate Adaptation Strategy will begin in the new year. Burlington has declared a climate emergency and is showing leadership by continuing to take action on climate change.--*Posted by John Bkila, the Mayor's Media and Digital Communications Specialist