City of Williams Lake completes 2010 Corporate Emissions Inventory

From the City of Williams Lake website:

As part of its commitment to the BC Climate Action Charter and to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, the City of Williams Lake has completed a corporate emissions inventory for 2010.

The 2010 Inventory Report outlines the City’s emissions for 2010 totaling 685 tonnes of CO2 equivalent (t CO2e - this is the standard measurement for Greenhouse gas emissions). GHG emissions are down 6.7% from 2009 and 3.4% from 2008. This trend is on target for the City’s reduction goal of 33% below 2008 emissions by 2020. A staff report further details the methodology undertaken to complete the inventory, as well as a number of recommendations to improve the accuracy of future emissions inventories.

At this time it is difficult to determine what proportion of the overall decrease in the City’s emissions between 2008 and 2010 is due to reduction efforts, and what proportion is due to weather/climate patterns (2008 and 2009 had colder and snowier winters than 2010). Many of the City’s emissions reduction efforts are in their early, foundation building stages, and the next few inventories will help indicate the real impacts of the City’s energy planning and reduction initiatives that will take place in 2012 and on.

“The City is committed to reducing our emissions, and this inventory is one of the first steps,” says Councillor Sue Zacharias, Chair of the Planning and Operations Committee. “Council has also resolved to consider in the budget process setting aside funds that would go into an emissions reduction fund in order to make the necessary upgrades and changes to reduce our emissions.”

City staff are developing a Corporate Emissions Reduction Plan that will provide a comprehensive strategy for aggressively reducing the City’s operational emissions to meet our commitments. City staff also plan to release an emissions inventory report for 2011’s emissions in early 2012.

In September, City Council adopted a Green Fleet Strategy as a guiding document for the operation and management of the City’s Fleet as the City works to meet its commitment to reduce carbon emissions. It allows for the City to make an organized and directed approach to improving the overall efficiency of the City’s fleet during its operations. This also has the positive side effects of reducing fuel and maintenance costs, improving the resiliency of the fleet, and promoting environmentally conscious actions to the community.

The complete 2010 Corporate GHG Emissions Inventory Report can be found on the City’s website at: http://www.williamslake.ca/index.asp?p=1978. The City made use of student funding from the Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions to hire a Greenhouse Gas Planning Assistant to complete the inventory.