Metro Vancouver's Clean Air Plan and Climate 2050: An Integrated Approach to Air Quality and Climate Action Planning

摘要

Metro Vancouver is a regional government in British Columbia, Canada, that manages air quality in a region that is home to 2.5 million residents, which is more than half the population of BC. Implementation is underway on its recently adopted Climate 2050 Strategic Framework, which considers both medium term and long term climate actions out to 2050. Broad consideration of climate change mitigation and adaptation actions through Climate 2050 will include a series of Roadmaps on ten "issue areas" that account for major greenhouse gas sources and key areas of adaptation. Climate 2050 will be aligned with the findings of the recent IPCC special report on Global Warming of 1.5 degrees C, and will utilize a dynamic, adaptive approach that responds to performance measurement, as well as new science, technology and public opinion. Metro Vancouver is also developing a new Clean Air Plan to set the direction for both air quality and greenhouse gas management in the region for the next 5-10 years. The Clean Air Plan will be created in alignment with the Climate 2050 Strategic Framework, using an integrated approach that considers existing challenges, emerging opportunities, and the social context for the region. Development of the Clean Air Plan will consider a diverse range of issues. The vision, principles, goals and targets for the Clean Air Plan are being developed to establish the path forward, support transparency, track progress, and enable responsiveness to new information. A robust stakeholder engagement program has been designed to identify linkages across the initiatives, and build stakeholder buy-in. Actions to reduce emissions will be evaluated based on expected health and climate benefits, impacts on visibility, and equity, corporate leadership, and other criteria. There will be increased consideration of potential air quality impacts due to a changing climate (e.g., wildfires, increased ozone formation). This presentation will describe the integrated planning approach, and lessons learned to date, as Metro Vancouver strives to maintain its clean, healthy air and clear views, and works on meaningful greenhouse gas reduction actions that cool the climate.