Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Climate is sometimes mistaken for weather. Weather is monitored and described based on what is happening day to day or season to season, but climate is measured over long periods of time. Data for our region’s climate is gathered using monitors like seasonal temperature, rainfall averages and wind patterns, and average growing seasons. It is important to remember that even if we have a particularly cold winter or cooler summer, our climate is still getting warmer over time. Climate scientists know this by evaluating historical data and combining it with projections from advanced global models.  

There is scientific consensus that the cause of current climate change is largely from human activity, like burning fossil fuels for energy (natural gas, oil, diesel, and coal). Burning these materials releases surplus greenhouse gases (GHGs) into Earth’s atmosphere. These additional gases cumulate in the atmosphere, blanketing the earth, and preventing the sun’s radiation from escaping back out into space. 

In Delta, the changing climate puts our people and places at risk, including our forests, critical habitats, and waterfront recreation areas.

We are already experiencing certain climate change hazards, like significant changes in temperatures and precipitation. What this looks like is hotter, drier summers, increased risk of wildfire and drought, damage to infrastructure (roads, sewer systems, etc.) and ecosystems, and saltwater inundation into recreation and agricultural areas and historical and cultural sites.

This past year we saw the cascading effects of climate change, with the 2021 heat dome, drought, wildfires, and floods; a vicious cycle of deadly and costly events. 

Some of the key concerns for Delta are:

• Higher temperatures can increase wildfire activity
• Extreme weather events like lots of rain after long, hot periods, can contribute to flooding within our city (this is know as urban or overland flooding)
• Crops and gardens suffer during seasonal droughts when summers are warmer and drier
• Sea level rise and wild storms can contribute to coastal flooding and erosion

No.  It is true that throughout Earth’s history, climate has continually changed. However, when climate changes naturally, it is a slow process that takes place over thousands of years. Experts have confirmed that the changes we have seen since the mid 1990s are not a part of Earth’s natural cycles. In August 2021, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released a report summarizing decades of research that confirms, “climate change is widespread, rapid and intensifying” and that it is unequivocally human-caused (IPCC Report, August 2021). To prevent dangerous or ‘runaway’ climate change it is important that we all work together - governments, businesses, and individuals around the world need to take action. The City of Delta is aiming to do its part. 

IPPC Report August 2021. Panel (a) Changes in global surface temperature reconstructed from paleoclimate archives (solid grey line, years 1–2000) and from direct observations (solid black line, 1850–2020), both relative to 1850–1900 and decadally averaged. The vertical bar on the left shows the estimated temperature (very likely range) during the warmest multi-century period in at least the last 100,000 years, which occurred around 6500 years ago during the current interglacial period (Holocene). The Last Interglacial, around 125,000 years ago, is the next most recent candidate for a period of higher temperature. These past warm periods were caused by slow (multi-millennial) orbital variations. The grey shading with white diagonal lines shows the very likely ranges for the temperature reconstructions. Panel (b) Changes in global surface temperature over the past 170 years (black line) relative to 1850–1900 and annually averaged, compared to Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6) climate model simulations (see Box SPM.1) of the temperature response to both human and natural drivers (brown) and to only natural drivers (solar and volcanic activity, green). Solid coloured lines show the multi-model average, and coloured shades show the very likely range of simulations. (See Figure SPM.2 for the assessed contributions to warming). {2.3.1; Cross-Chapter Box 2.3; 3.3; TS.2.2; Cross-Section Box TS.1, Figure 1a}

It can be unclear why residents in a relatively smaller city like Delta need to take action to prepare for climate impacts and reduce emissions. There are a few key reasons. First, although emissions are emitted globally, many of the impacts of climate change, like extreme weather and sea level rise, will be felt locally, affecting our citizens and municipal services and operations. This is therefore a community-wide concern and priority. 

In addition, Canada, particularly the northern parts, is warming twice as fast as other countries, and the impacts we feel will be amplified (Bush and Lemmen, 2019)[1]. Second, we, as a city and community, all have a role to play in reducing the GHG emissions that cause climate change. Across the region, the country, and the world, we all need to step up to this unprecedented challenge. 

Third, many of the ways we lower GHG emissions in our city will build other co-benefits like saving money and having cleaner air. For example, the city can make it easier to walk or cycle throughout the city, saving you money on gas and lowering air pollution from cars.

The CEEP is a climate mitigation plan. This means it focuses on the ways we can reduce the GHG emissions that contribute to climate change and shift our community toward more sustainable practices. Many of the actions we can take, though, will also help us prepare for, adapt to, the climate changes that are already happening. This is called adaptation. As we build this plan, we will always be looking for ways to make life better now.

Source: Community Energy Association 

The federal government uses national standards and funding in climate action because provinces have constitutional jurisdiction over both energy and local governments.

Local governments, like the City of Delta, are on the frontlines of climate action because communities are where people live, work and play. Communities are also where both the climate impacts will be felt, and where individuals and businesses make day-to-day low carbon decisions. As a municipal government, there are specific ways we can help residents and business adapt to climate change and save energy, emissions, and money. The CEEP details specifically how as a local government we will do this.

Community climate action in context

There are four pillars to Delta’s climate plans and policies: 

• Corporate Action: climate actions related to City operations and city-owned assets;
• Community Action: actions and policy to support or influence the reduction of GHG emissions from the broader community, residents, businesses etc.;
• Adaptation: actions taken to make Delta and its residents more resilient to the effects of climate change; and
• Education: action taken to communicate and engage with internal and external stakeholders.

Local governments have direct control on the delivery of their services and can lead by example through corporate climate action. Corporate actions focus on facilities, fleet and waste creation by City staff. Local governments have indirect control on climate fighting actions through land use and transportation planning, policies and incentives. Delta can create systems and an environment that supports low carbon actions and sets the stage for residents and business to choose actions that reduce emissions. For example, Delta can plan walkable communities so that residents can use their cars less. This would have health and money-saving benefits for residents while also reducing GHG emissions.  

Local government also have influence. The City of Delta has direct influence when it chooses to support and collaborate on projects that fight climate change. The City “indirectly” influences low carbon choices when it helps residents and businesses understand how their choices can be beneficial. This is done through advocacy, education, and sharing important information. 

The CEEP is the City’s action plan to help our community rapidly reduce GHG emissions in a way that is relevant and effective for our city and even prepare for the impacts of a changing climate. The decisions we make today to transform how we heat and cool our buildings, how we get around, and how we dispose of our waste will affect future generations. There are many additional benefits to taking action to reduce energy consumption and GHG emissions, including:

• Reducing energy costs for the community (for residents and businesses)
• Reducing vulnerability to energy markets through reduced reliance on fossil fuels
• Creating local economic development opportunities in energy efficiency and green energy
• Supporting the community's goals for creating a livable, complete, green, planned, prosperous and involved community

There are three key ways the City of Delta can influence how much energy we use and lower our community GHG emissions:

• Enable choice through infrastructure decisions
• Shape choice through policy and regulation
• Support choice through engagement and outreach

Yes! Delta’s new community emissions targets are to reduce our community emissions by 45% by the year 2030 and be net-zero by the year 2050. These targets are in line with what climate scientists recommend. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is the United Nations body for assessing the science related to climate change.  

The October 2018 IPCC Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5°C states that greenhouse gas emissions needs to be reduced by 45% from 2010 levels by 2030 and be carbon neutral by 2050. If we as a global community meet these targets, we can slow down climate and have a better chance of keeping the global temperature rise below 1.5°C. This would ensure we avoid the worst impacts of a changed climate including threats to human and well-being.