My Takeaways from COP-27 and Edmonton’s role in fighting Climate Change | Part 2
The strength and innovation of the Edmonton Region was on display on the world stage.
While representing Edmonton at COP-27 my goals were to help the world see our potential as a green energy, building, and economic hub. Edmonton is one of the fastest-warming regions globally and our average temperature has already increased by 1.7°C over the last century. Our province and city are disproportionately contributing to climate change, but at COP I learned about many ways we can make transformational impacts to get back on track with global climate goals.
Here are my key learnings:
1. Cities must be part of the solution at every level.
In my previous post about COP-27, I made it clear that cities are at the forefront of tackling climate change. Cities account for 70–80% of global greenhouse gas emissions despite being 3% of the land mass. As a city, Edmonton must be a partner to all levels of government to be effective at making local change for a global impact.
For example, we can use Edmonton’s first-ever Carbon Budget to help inform the provincial and federal governments of what we are doing to reduce our GHG emissions, transition to greener modes of transport, and upgrade our city’s buildings to better energy standards.
During my trip to Ottawa for the Big City Mayors Caucus in December, I also advocated for cities to be full partners with the federal government. Edmonton is a city of early adopters who are supporting the scaling of our green building industry, hydrogen sector, and clean tech companies and we need to do a better job of celebrating and boosting Edmonton’s successes for all to see. I had many companies and leaders tell me that they recognize Edmonton is a progressive city that is leading the way.
2. A green transition must drive economic development opportunities to support job creation in the Edmonton Region.
For Edmonton to achieve our goal of net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, we need many pathways to reduce emissions.
Our city is very well positioned to lead municipal decarbonization while driving economic growth in our region through our established construction, energy, technology, and manufacturing industries.
We are proud to have Canada’s first net zero office building the priMED Mosaic Centre, our first net zero firehall is currently under construction, and we are the first city in North America to see a single-family home undergo a panelized deep retrofit.
AI is also playing a critical role in our emissions reduction efforts. Edmonton is a powerhouse for AI and is home to the Alberta Machine Intelligences Institute (Amii). Amii is a key local and global innovation asset. Many companies are using AI to optimize operations and reduce GHGs like Blindman Brewing, who collaborated with Amii to figure out how to leverage AI to reduce the emissions of their beer making.
Edmonton is home to hundreds of cleantech companies that serve a wide variety of industries, including traditional energy, power and utilities, manufacturing, agriculture, hydrogen, digitalization, carbon capture, utilization and storage, and more. We have 7 major post-secondary institutions; 130,000 post-secondary students, experienced green building experts, and huge hydrogen capabilities.
At COP-27, I was happy to share that the Edmonton Region has the assets and skills to create great jobs, fulfill green economic opportunities, and provide our expertise to the world.
3. Collaboration across governments and regions is key to a successful climate response.
A major theme at COP was implementation and collaboration. Edmonton will work regionally, provincially, and federally to implement tangible climate solutions. But the City can’t fund this transition alone. At COP, I met a number of representatives from financial institutions that want to work with cities to tackle climate change. My goal is for Edmonton to partner with global investors to unlock more dollars for our city’s green economy.
Edmonton is no stranger to collaboration. I was proud to share how we collaborate with others in our region because we know GHG emissions don’t stop at municipal boundaries.
Edmonton has recently partnered with Strathcona County to test hydrogen fuel cell electric bus technology next year and collaborate to have the first hydrogen maintenance facility in Alberta.
The new bus complements the City’s current electric bus fleet of 60 and allows us to experiment with other electric vehicle technologies. We are eager to test the hydrogen fuel cell electric buses in our colder climate as part of our public transportation system and to inform future use of the buses on a larger scale.
Edmonton has been and continues to be an industry leader in using electric bus technologies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, provide more sustainable transportation, and improve the rider experience. This type of collaboration is critical for our continued progress.
4. The Global North has the capacity to lower our outsized emissions.
The most affluent countries of the world (the “Global North”), are responsible for around half of all emissions since the Industrial Revolution. That prosperity comes with the responsibility to lead the way in reducing our emissions. I hope to see ways in which we can kick-start the green industrial revolution and use our existing industry expertise to pioneer a better future.
One of the most promising ways we can do this is through green energy production and the budding hydrogen sector. The Edmonton region’s unique geology enables carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) that allows the production of low-carbon hydrogen at a global scale. Our region includes three of the world’s five hydrogen CCUS plants, with another on the way!
We can already make enough decarbonized hydrogen in Canada today to meet the country’s expected 2050 demand and to become a leading hydrogen exporter. The Edmonton region has more than a hundred years of energy experience and it is our turn to lead the shift to sustainable energy production.
As with all trips taken by the Mayor, I want to be transparent about the costs of this impactful conference. I believe that I achieved my goal of representing Edmonton on the world stage and was pleased to stand alongside many other local representatives from the Government of Alberta, Capital Power, Emissions Reduction Alberta, University of Alberta, and Edmonton Global. Here are the costs that were associated with this trip:
I attended the conference with my Chief of Staff Lisa Holmes, and the City of Edmonton also sent Deputy City Manager Stephanie McCabe with our delegation.
My total cost was $7,187.15 and my Chief of Staff’s cost was $7,480.19. The City of Edmonton’s cost for Deputy City Manager Stephanie McCabe was $7,312.79.
I am proud to have had the opportunity to represent the great Climate work happening in Edmonton at COP-27.
If we refocus on a climate transition with a focus on good jobs, economic opportunity, local city know-how, collaboration, and Edmonton’s unique potential as a hub for hydrogen, Edmonton can continue to make the needed progress toward our climate goals. I feel a lot of optimism and hope after this trip and I am looking forward to continuing with this important work.
