Mississauga Votes to Join Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy

Mississauga is now on track to join the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy – an international alliance of cities with a shared long-term vision to protect the environment, Mayor Bonnie Crombie said today.

The Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy is an international alliance of cities and local governments with a shared long-term vision of promoting and supporting voluntary action to combat climate change and move to a low emission, resilient society.

“Council has once again stood up for our environment by addressing the real and present threat of climate change,” Mayor Crombie said. “Cities account for approximately 70 per cent of all greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) produced globally. We have to be part of the solution.”

As part of the process to become a member city, Mississauga will undertake the following actions:

· Create a GHG inventory for our city consistent with the Global Protocol for Community-Scale Greenhouse Gas Emission Inventories, within one year or less;
· Catalogue the climate hazards faced by our city, within one year or less;
· Develop a target to reduce GHG emissions, within two years or less;
· Catalogue the climate vulnerabilities faced by our city, within two years or less; and
· Outline our plans to address climate change mitigation and adaptation within three years or less

“Mississauga will join the league of other world-class cities that are already members including, New York, Paris, Sydney and Tokyo. Our membership is a call to action to develop a comprehensive plan to combat climate change.”

“Under the direction of our new Director of Environment, Michael Cleland, we are developing a made-in-Mississauga Climate Change Action Plan,” Mayor Crombie added. “The Plan will include both corporate and community-wide actions to reduce the impacts of climate change. It will prepare the City for possible future climate scenarios.”

Today’s vote follows an extensive list of city-building actions taken by Council and staff to safeguard the local environment.

In March, Council unanimously stood behind a resolution by Ward 1 Councillor Jim Tovey demanding that the Trump Administration reinstate funding for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative – an organization which advances the protection and restoration of the Great Lakes.

“Nearly 40 million people in communities throughout Canada and the United States depend on water from the Great Lakes for their health and wellbeing,” Mayor Crombie said.

In June, Mayor Crombie and Councillor Tovey attended the 2017 Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative Conference where they won unanimous approval to designate the Great Lakes, the St. Lawrence River and the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River basin as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. “This designation would lead to the largest biosphere on the planet.”

“Mississauga is blessed to be home to beautiful and protected green spaces like Jack Darling Park on Lake Ontario, Wildwood Park in Malton, and Credit Meadows Park in our Heartland neighbourhood. We have over twenty kilometers of waterfront that runs along Lake Ontario.”

Mayor Crombie concluded “We must do everything we can to combat climate change and continue building a healthy, green and sustainable Mississauga.”