Update to the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat’s Departmental Sustainable Development Strategy: spring 2018
The Secretariat has committed to expanding and continually updating its Departmental Sustainable Development Strategy (DSDS) for 2017 to 2020 to incorporate new decisions, actions and targets.
Since the tabling of the Secretariat’s DSDS for 2017 to 2020, the following key results have been achieved:
- As of the 2016 to 2017 fiscal year, the government has reduced its GHG emissions by 28% from 2005 levels. It is on track to meeting its target of reducing GHG emissions from federal operations by 40% by 2030 relative to 2005 levels.
- In , the Centre for Greening Government released the Greening Government Strategy, which sets an ambitious target to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from federal operations by 80% by 2050 relative to 2005 levels, in addition to the previous commitment of a 40% reduction by 2030. This target is consistent with world-leading jurisdictions. The strategy outlines specific measures to achieve this target and sets out a broader scope for our greening efforts, including actions on water and waste. These measures will ensure that Canada is a leader in government operations that are low-carbon, resilient and green.
- Also in , the Centre for Greening Government released the government’s updated GHG inventory, which provides a picture of the government’s GHG emissions from the 2010 to 2011 fiscal year to the 2016 to 2017 fiscal year. The inventory tracks GHG emissions from 15 departments and agencies as part of the Federal Sustainable Development Strategy.
Greening Government Strategy
New commitments and enhanced targets
- The government’s GHG emissions will be reduced by 80% by 2050 relative to 2005 levels. This target is in addition to the previous commitment of a 40% reduction by 2030.
- New government buildings will be net-zero carbon ready starting in 2022 at the latest, and all major building retrofits will be low-carbon.
- All government buildings will track potable water use by 2022, with new buildings and major renovations to be best-in-class for potable water consumption and storm water management.
- By 2030, at least 75% of all non-hazardous operational waste and 90% of construction renovation and demolition waste will be diverted from landfills.
- The government’s administrative fleet will consist of at least 80% zero-emission vehicles by 2030.
- There will be more comprehensive reporting on GHG emissions from government buildings and fleets by increasing the number of reporting departments from 15 to 23.
- Low-carbon investments will be prioritized in major real property investment decisions by applying a shadow price on carbon.
- The resiliency of federal assets, services and operations to address the wide range of potential climate change impacts will be improved.
Building on the new commitments and enhanced targets of the Greening Government Strategy, the Secretariat will take concrete actions to broaden its leadership across government to ensure the successful implementation of the strategy. The Secretariat will:
- lead and coordinate with departments federal emissions reduction, resiliency and greening government initiatives
- integrate knowledge from other leading organizations and share best practices broadly
- track and disclose government environmental performance information centrally
- drive results and broker solutions to meet greening government environmental objectives
As a department, the Secretariat will lead by example by:
- integrating climate change into the analysis of the Secretariat’s key risks
- implementing a more rigorous process in reviewing environmental impacts related to memoranda to Cabinet and Treasury Board submissions sponsored by the Secretariat
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