City of Leduc GHG inventory and GHG Reduction Plan

The City of Leduc is one of the fastest-growing cities in Alberta, and from 2006 to 2016, the city grew by more than 13,000 inhabitants to the current population of 29,993. The population growth in the city is expected to continue and will have a significant impact on the GHG emissions being generated, especially with approximately one third of the population commuting to Edmonton. The City of Leduc will be developing a corporate and community GHG inventory and GHG reduction plan in order to identify, prioritize and outline how to systematically implement corporate and community GHG reduction policies and actions. The City of Leduc is a member of the Partners for Climate Protection Program and will be carrying out an inventory to measure current corporate and community GHG emissions, establish GHG reduction targets, and use a triple bottom line approach to consider how to enhance sustainability related elements of GHG reduction options. The City of Leduc aims to achieve at least a 20% reduction from baseline year GHG emissions for municipal operations and 6% for the community sector within the next 10 years. A detailed action plan will be developed to achieve the GHG reduction targets, and the Community Inventory and Economic Analysis Tool (CI-EAT) will be used as an evaluation framework to consider social, environmental and economic criteria when evaluating the GHG reduction options. An outreach and engagement strategy will increase awareness about the need for and benefits of reducing Leduc’s GHG emissions, will gather input and generate ideas on proposed new actions for climate change mitigation, and build ownership and buy-in for the plan amongst stakeholders and residents to support long-term and effective program implementation. The plan will complement other planning processes within the city, such as Leduc’s Environmental Plan, and the City of Leduc also intends to engage neighboring communities to encourage them to carry out similar GHG reduction plans.The City of Leduc expects numerous environmental, social and economic benefits to come out of the GHG reduction plan, including 1) reducing GHG emissions, 2) realizing operational cost savings through reduced energy consumption, 3) creating local employment by investing in and stimulating investment in projects that reduce energy use and GHG emissions, 4) enhancing corporate and community awareness of energy efficiency options, 5) ensuring access to a stable, reliable and affordable energy supply, 6) reducing traffic congestion, 7) improving air quality through reduced pollutants and airborne particles, 8) creating a coordinated approach with city council, staff, community members and other municipalities by sharing information, ideas and best practices and collectively implementing GHG reduction targets, 9) receiving recognition as a leader in sustainable community development.