This month, the City of Saint John joined the “Race to Zero” environmental campaign.
After the motion was brought up in October by Councillor-at-Large Brent Harris, the pledge to join the environmental campaign was adopted.
Saint John is the second city in Atlantic Canada to join the pledge.
Saint John’s Race to Zero
Joining the “Race to Zero” involves the commitment of creating sustainable jobs, keeping global warming under 1.5 degrees Celsius, seeing every action through an environmentally-friendly lens, and continually reporting the city’s progress.
Some of these goals may be difficult since Saint John has various industry sectors. Harris points out that to regulate these industries and implement the new initiatives, the city will need funding from federal and provincial governments.
According to Harris, Saint John is “the first city in the province to put forward such commitments with backup plans that are shovel ready, they just need outside support.”
What is “Race to Zero”?
“Race to Zero” is an international campaign that reunites cities and regions to create sustainable jobs, tackle climate change, and commit to emit net zero carbon emissions by 2050. According to the website, it has covered nearly 25% of global CO2 emissions and over 50% of GDP.
By joining “Race to Zero”, Saint John has committed to meet the ‘meta-criteria’ which consists of the following:
- Pledge: to pledge that they will commit to reach net-zero GHGs as soon as possible by setting specific targets.
- Plan: to present a plan within 12 months of joining on how the city will achieve the pledges, including long, medium- or short-term goals.
- Proceed: to take action to achieve the pledges.
- Publish: the city will have to report publicly the progress of the targets and the actions being taken.
More information can be found here.
