It could be tougher but not impossible for Brampton, Caledon and Mississauga to meet their greenhouse gas reduction targets, according to a new report.
The Atmospheric Fund’s (TAF) annual GTHA carbon inventory report has found that greenhouse gas pollution across Peel rose above pre-pandemic levels last year, with an increase in transportation-related emissions driving the spike.
The Nov. 20 report shows carbon emissions in Peel increased 2.5 per cent last year compared to 2022. Emissions increased in all six GTHA regions covered by the report, but Peel’s saw the second-largest percentage increase after Hamilton’s 2.9 per cent spike.
Mississauga had the largest total 2023 emissions in Peel, the report showed, with the equivalent of 6.7 million metric tons of carbon produced in the city.
That’s more than 2.7 million tonnes of emissions more than the 4 million recorded in Brampton in 2023, according to the report, which also found nearly 685,000 carbon tonnes were produced in Caledon.
A breakdown of 2023 emissions between Brampton, Caledon and Mississauga, according to a new report from the Toronto Atmospheric Fund.
TAF graphic
Lead report author Ekaterina Tzekova says the 2023 numbers show most emission reductions during the pandemic have “unfortunately eroded” in Peel and other GTHA municipalities, and that means more drastic greenhouse gas cuts are needed to meet local targets.
“So it’s almost like you’ve got an assignment. It’s midnight. You got to get on it,” she said. “You can’t procrastinate anymore.”
What are Brampton, Mississauga and Caledon’s emissions targets?
The report comes as Caledon and Mississauga are less than six years away from their first pledged emission reduction milestones.
Mississauga pledged to reduce greenhouse gases in the city by 40 per cent from 1990 levels, while Caledon has promised to cut emissions 36 per cent below 2016 levels.
Brampton plans to cut emissions in half from 2016 levels by 2041.
Based on TAF numbers, Tzekova says Brampton will have to cut city-wide emissions by five per cent a year to meet its 2041 target, while Mississauga has to decrease its greenhouse gases by 5.6 per cent a year to keep its 2030 promise.
Caledon will have to reduce its emissions by 10 per cent each year across the municipality to reach its 2030 target.
Tzekova says those targets are “within reach,” but only if the Peel municipalities address emissions from transportation and buildings.
What are city officials saying?
In a statement to the Mississauga News, Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown wrote that the TAF report shows the need “to intensify our efforts in combating climate change.”
He says the city started work on several initiatives, including a home retrofit program, refurbishing the Susan Fennell Sportsplex to make it Brampton’s first facility to produce zero carbon emissions and a master transportation plan that would reduce reliance on petroleum fuels.
“While we have made significant strides, we recognize the need for continuous improvement and community engagement to meet our targets,” Brown’s statement said.
Mississauga Mayor Carolyn Parrish said in a statement the city is “doing our part” to lower emissions from city facilities and vehicles.
Parrish noted the city passed green development standards this year, installed over 100 electric vehicle chargers and has reduced transit-related carbon emissions by 10,700 tonnes since 2019.
She also said community-wide greenhouse gases were down in Mississauga eight per cent from 1990 levels in 2023.
“The 40 per cent reduction by 2030 remains a priority for the City of Mississauga to reach, and we are exploring actions to help accelerate this outcome.”
Alexandra Service, who is the Town of Caledon’s climate change specialist, says the local climate plan is set to be reviewed in 2025, “which gives us an opportunity to track our progress and make any course corrections we need to make sure we’re hitting those interim and long-term targets.”
Service also says the town has been working to lower transportation emissions by building a “robust” electric vehicle charging network, encouraging alternative fuels for heavy duty trucks and advocating with the province to accelerate GO Transit expansion plans in the area.
What are local environmental advocates saying?
David Laing of local group Brampton Environmental Alliance says he’s “not at all surprised” that carbon emissions across Peel appear to be increasing a few years after dropping during the pandemic.
“We’ve effectively gone back to business as usual pre-pandemic for the most part,” he says.
Laing says he’s concerned that local and provincial pushback could stifle support for cycling infrastructure in the city and wants to see other levels of government to step up with funding to build higher order transit, like the Hazel McCallion LRT expansion into Brampton.
“If we had a provincial government with true vision, then that’s where these investments would be going, frankly, not investing in more highways.”
David Laing (left) of the Brampton Environmental Alliance and Rahul Mehta of Sustainable Mississauga.
Alexandra Heck Metroland file photo
Rahul Mehta of local group Sustainable Mississauga also says he’s “not surprised” to see carbon emissions rising across Peel and that Brampton, Caledon and Mississauga need to do some “soul searching” to implement more effective solutions to lower greenhouse gases.
In Mississauga, Mehta says city officials should focus less on reducing its corporate emissions and more on ways to drop carbon across the community, such as a more comprehensive program supporting home retrofits and bolder plans to boost modes of transportation other than cars.
“Much to my delight and surprise, the implementation of congestion charges in municipalities around the world is starting to happen quite quickly, or at least be talked about,” he says. “We’re not doing any of that. We are very hesitant to remove parking and prioritize other modes.”
Why reduce carbon emissions?
Climate change, if left unchecked, is regularly being called an “existential threat” to humanity by scientists and world leaders, including Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and outgoing U.S. President Joe Biden.
United Nations officials say climate change is already impacting lives, livelihoods and national economies around the world through extreme and changing weather patterns as well as rising sea levels.
To limit global warming and its consequences, the UN says greenhouse gas emissions like carbon and methane need to be cut in half globally by 2030.
This past summer, flooding in Quebec, Mississauga, Toronto and much of the GTA caused more than $3.5 billion in insured damages, according to the Insurance Bureau of Canada, while wildfires in Jasper led to $880 million in claims.
What else is in the TAF report on Peel?
While Peel-wide emissions were up 2.5 per cent in 2023, the TAF says per person carbon emissions were actually down one per cent from the previous year.
Emissions from heating and cooling buildings also decreased across Peel, though marginally, at 0.2 per cent. The TAF report says that’s because of a warmer winter that saw homes create 4.6 per cent less natural gas emissions.
In Brampton, TAF found that cycling trips increased 22 per cent in 2023 and the distance travelled went up 17 per cent. Mississauga saw declines in both bike trips (10 per cent) and distance travelled (24 per cent), according to the report.
A still from a CRH Canada video about the Ash Grove cement plant in Mississauga.
Steve Cornwell screengrab
TAF estimates emissions from industries in Peel were up three per cent last year, with the report pointing to “significant” greenhouse gases coming from the Ash Grove cement plant in Mississauga.
Cement production emits carbon dioxide when the key ingredient, limestone, is heated to high temperatures.
A spokesperson from Ash Grove’s parent company, CRH, says the cement industry giant is targeting a 30 per cent reduction in carbon emissions by 2030.
Through the use of carbon capture technology and alternative fuels, the spokesperson said, “Ash Grove is improving the performance of our plant in Mississauga, while continuing to provide an important supply of cement to critical construction projects across Ontario.”
Transportation emissions, which TAF calculates from gas and diesel fuel sales and other data, were up across Peel five per cent, with Mississauga producing the most at 2.5 million tonnes of carbon captured in the report.
Tzekova says a lot of that 2023 increase is tied to an uptick in personal vehicle use as more Peel households are returning to in-person work.
She says the Region of Peel, Brampton, Caledon and Mississauga have to concentrate on supports for electric vehicles, active transportation and prioritizing transit to address transportation emissions.
