City of Surrey completes 2% of planned climate action initiatives in 2024
A year after the climate strategy was adopted, the city has initiated more than half of its planned initiatives
Surrey city council adopted the Climate Change Action Strategy in 2023. (City of Surrey/Suneet Gill)
A year after adopting the Climate Change Action Strategy (CCAS), the City of Surrey has initiated 63 per cent of its initiatives aimed at reducing the city’s community greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to net zero before 2050.
Adopted by city council in July 2023, the CCAS aims to reduce the city’s corporate GHG emissions to “absolute zero” by 2050, a City of Surrey spokesperson wrote in an email statement to The Runner.
As of September 2024, two per cent of the CCAS actions have been completed, 28 per cent are in the planning stages, 26 per cent are undergoing implementation, and 37 per cent have not yet started, the city’s CCAS annual report for 2023-24 noted.
In 2020, Surrey recorded 2,366,179 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent per year. According to the city’s Climate Action Tracker, the city’s goal is to reduce these emissions to 1,163,522 by 2030.
To reach these goals, the city initiated several actions, which include hiring a facilities energy manager, who is responsible for managing energy and emissions for the city’s facilities. The manager will help improve efficiency in the use of energy while “phasing out” the use of energy from non-renewable sources, like fossil fuels, the spokesperson wrote.
This spring, the city also introduced an emergency preparedness guide for older adults to ensure safety for seniors during emergencies such as extreme weather conditions. The guide provides information like emergency contacts to assist older adults.
The city is also working on the Surrey City Energy Sewer Heat Recovery Project, which will serve the district energy system by transmitting waste heat from a regional trunk sewer. Once completed in 2028, the project is expected to provide 65 to 70 per cent of energy for the district system, the spokesperson wrote.
Transportation and community participation have also been some of the city’s major areas of concentration since the adoption of CCAS. In North Surrey, a two-year electric bike share pilot project was launched, providing residents with access to 300 shared e-bikes to help reduce GHG emissions.
The city has also collaborated with BC Hydro and received funding from the province and Natural Resources Canada to establish fast-charging hubs equipped with 20 charging stations to enhance the existing network of electric vehicle charging stations.
Under the Releaf Tree Planting initiative, 160 shade trees and 8,000 native plants have been planted in more than 40 parks by about 4,000 volunteers throughout the city, the spokesperson wrote.
Over the next two years, the city is planning to develop 15-minute neighbourhood metrics to support Surrey’s community plan update. The Surrey Urban Forest Management Strategy target is also planning to increase the urban forest canopy — excluding lands within the Agricultural Land Reserve — to 30 per cent by 2038.
For more information about the City of Surrey’s CCAS, visit www.bit.ly/4glTvlU.
