Thread by @BlairScorgie

It has been an honour and privilege to co-author this report on behalf of @svn_ap. If you are concerned about the need to comprehensively mitigate and adapt to climate change in the @cityoftoronto, please read this call to action and contact your City Councillor. #TOpoli

https://twitter.com/svn_ap/status/1480962876777115651

We are living in a crucial moment for action - climate change is on our doorstep, and we do not have a second to waste. In 2019, @cityoftoronto Council declared a climate emergency, and set a target of achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2015, or sooner. #topoli

But progress has been limited, and we are not on track to meet that goal. TransformTO, the @cityoftoronto's climate change strategy, and recently been updated with a number of urgent actions to get us on the path to net zero by 2040. #TOpoli

Achieving this goal requires coordinated, dramatic changes, and we need to use every tool in the box. As planners and designers, we work with @CityPlanTO's policy and regulatory framework every day. #TOpoli

The Official Plan is one of the most important pieces of planning policy, because it represents the long-term vision and aspirations of the @cityoftoronto. #TOpoli

It is an essential tool for fighting climate change, and the current MCR process is our last chance to create a plan that mitigates its worst impacts. #TOpoli

We believe the @cityoftoronto's Official Plan needs to re-centre its purpose by adopting climate-positive policy as the foundational element of all planning. Climate change knows no boundaries, and affects everyone. The house is on fire, and we need to act like it. #topoli

We have identified five priority areas that must be addressed through the MCR process and the development of new policies. Our recommendations are based around the following five themes. #TOpoli

1) Accelerating the development of low carbon buildings;
2) Implementing the 4Rs: reduce, reuse, recycle and retrofit;
3) Enhancing the City's role as a carbon sink;
4) Building community resiliency; and,
5) Advancing our transportation goals.

Buildings and construction are the number one source of greenhouse gas emissions in the @cityoftoronto, accounting for 57% of all carbon emissions. Addressing building-related emissions is a core component of the TransformTO strategy. It should also be integral to the OP. #TOpoli

The Official Plan is based on a growth forecast or "target" for people and jobs. It should also be based on a 1.5 degree climate forecast and carbon budget. Here are a few specific recommendations: #topoli

As the City intensifies, we are seeing development proposals for sites where an existing functional building is demolished to allow for new construction. Addressing waste in city-building activities is an important priority that is not reflected in the current OP. #topoli

We need to reduce the amount of new materials needed, by prioritizing retrofits of the existing building stock. #TOpoli

We can also reduce the amount of construction waste by implementing a comprehensive waste diversion program, whereby waste materials are recycled and reused as inputs for other types of construction or other industries entirely. Here are a few specific recommendations: #TOpoli

There are two sides to the net zero equation: the carbon we produce through our daily activities and consumption, and the carbon that can be absorbed by the natural ecosystem, or stored. #TOpoli

Net zero acknowledges that while an overall reduction in carbon emissions is the most important, true net zero also requires carbon removal and storage. Here are a few specific recommendations: #topoli

We have already experienced the damaging effects of extreme weather caused by climate change. Models predict that @cityoftoronto could see more than 50 days of 30+ degree weather by 2051. Resilience is about our ability to respond, to bend not break, and bounce back. #topoli

The Official Plan should provide the basis for resilience across all land use designations and City functions. A resilient neighbourhood has different characteristics than a resilient transportation system, or downtown. Here are a few specific recommendations: #TOpoli

Transportation is the 2nd largest source of carbon emissions in the City, accounting for 36% of all emissions in 2019. In order to meaningfully combat climate change, the @cityoftoronto need to accelerate its transportation goals. Here are a few specific recommendations: #topoli

An OP that proactively anticipates climate change will address a variety of other important goals. It will foster social equity, improve access to jobs and services, support public health, preserve public and private investments, and create economic opportunities. #topoli