[font face=Serif][font size=5]Cities Can Affect Climate Change, Says U of T Engineering Study[/font]

[font size=4]February 7, 2013[/font]

[font size=3] Toronto – and other cities around the world – can significantly reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by implementing aggressive but practical policy changes, says a new study by Professor Chris Kennedy (CivE) and World Bank climate change specialist Lorraine Sugar (MASc CivE 1T0).

Professor Kennedy and Sugar make the claim in ‘A low carbon infrastructure plan for Toronto, Canada,’ published in the latest issue of The Canadian Journal of Civil Engineering. The paper aims to show how cities can make a positive difference using realistic, achievable steps. Their research shows that it is technically possible for cities, even in Canada, to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by 70 per cent or more in the long-term.

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“With current policies, especially cleaning of the electricity grid, Toronto's per-capita GHG emissions could be reduced by 30 per cent over the next 20 years. To go further, however, reducing emissions in the order of 70 per cent, would require significant retrofitting of the building stock, utilization of renewable heating and cooling systems, and the complete proliferation of electric, or other low carbon, automobiles.”

The biggest obstacle is the city’s building stock, according to Professor Kennedy. Buildings have a lifespan measured in decades, so it takes time to replace older buildings with more energy-efficient ones.

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