Canada is part of a growing list of countries, including Japan, France, and the United Kingdom, pledging to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. The federal government has committed to reducing greenhouse gas pollution by 40 to 45 per cent by 2030 on the path to net zero emissions by 2050. While the federal government is critical in setting the pace, Canada cannot get to net zero without leadership from industry and corporations. The landscape and horticultural sector is uniquely positioned to make a positive contribution to reaching this important goal. 

Achieving net-zero emissions requires shifting to technologies and energy systems that do not produce greenhouse gas emissions, while removing any remaining emissions from the atmosphere and storing them permanently. Put simply, Canada would need to take as many emissions out of the atmosphere as it puts in rather than leaving them to contribute to climate change.

Canada is the fastest-growing country in the G7 group, with the population expected to reach 55.2 million in 2068. 82 per cent of Canadians currently live in large municipalities and cities, and with population growth, larger cities are expected to become more congested. This dense concentration of people, government, business, infrastructure and economic resources makes cities more vulnerable to the growing risks of climate change.

Transforming to a net-zero emissions economy requires coordinated action across all sectors of the economy, supported by enabling policy frameworks. Some emissions from sectors that provide things industrial societies need are very hard to eliminate, such as the production of cement, steel, fertilizer and food via agriculture. These are areas where it’s tough to get to zero with current and even foreseeable technologies.

There is no path to net-zero emissions that does not involve nature-based climate solutions, which is one area the landscape and horticultural sector can contribute to most. Urban forests (any trees or plants growing in and around a town or city) are a natural climate solution that remove and store carbon from the atmosphere and help to mitigate the heat island effect.

Urban forests also help our cities cope with climate change impacts. They absorb and retain water during extreme precipitation events, limiting flood risk. They cool ambient air and create shade, limiting urban heat impacts. Mature trees and shrubs protect against soil loss and landslides.

The idea is not only to cut emissions as much as possible (for example by electrifying power generation and transport) but to integrate nature-based climate solutions into the equation. 

Limiting global temperature rise to 1.5 C is only possible with public policy and corporate strategy informed by a carbon budget. As with any other budget, it helps measure progress and lets you know exactly where you stand relative to your goal. 

We’ll get to net zero when we achieve a global balance between emissions produced by humans and emissions taken out of the atmosphere. How we get there is just as important as the final destination.


— CNLA’s Climate Change Adaptation Committee
 

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