The City of Hamilton is set to introduce its inaugural carbon budget in 2027 as part of its commitment to combatting global warming. This budget will serve as a cap on the total amount of carbon emissions permissible for the city.
During the 2027 budget process, a pilot program will be launched that focuses on specific divisions and capital projects exceeding $250,000, as stated in a city news release. The city council approved the recommended carbon budget during a meeting of the general issues committee held on May 27.
According to City Manager Marnie Cluckie, the carbon budget will enable the city to evaluate the climate impact of its decisions in a manner similar to assessing financial implications. Additionally, the city is working on a voluntary self-reporting carbon budget procedure to assist residents, businesses, and organizations in monitoring and reducing their emissions.
In response to escalating local climate-related challenges such as heatwaves, flooding, and erosion, the city declared a climate emergency in 2019. This declaration led to the formulation of Hamilton’s Climate Action Strategy, which serves as the foundation for the newly introduced budget.
A plan proposed by Environment Hamilton in 2023, aimed at reducing the city’s reliance on fossil fuels, recommended the creation of a carbon budget among other initiatives. The estimated allowable corporate emissions, encompassing waste, wastewater, and the city’s corporate fleet, stand at 422,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent, while community-wide emissions are projected at 53 million tonnes.
The carbon budget aligns with the Paris Agreement’s objectives and aims to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, ultimately striving for net-zero emissions by 2050. Initially introduced as a pilot, the budget is scheduled for full implementation by 2030. Staff members are expected to provide a progress report later in 2027, detailing the pilot outcomes and recommendations for city-wide implementation.
During the May 27 meeting, Miriam Sager, a resident of Ward 1, voiced her support for the carbon budget, emphasizing the community’s concerns about climate change. Lucia Iannantuono, a citizen member of the climate change committee, also endorsed the budget but expressed reservations about the corporate carbon offsets and credits policy outlined in the original report, citing their ineffectiveness.
The policy, identified in a city staff report as a vital strategy to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions, proposes using “carbon offset credits” to balance remaining emissions in 2050. Trevor Imhoff, a senior project manager in the Office of Climate Change Initiatives, explained that third-party companies would identify eligible projects offering carbon credits, which the city could then purchase on a carbon market.