Climate Action

What is Climate Change?

Climate change is the gradual global increase in temperature that impacts various elements of the climate differently depending on where you live. This change is caused by the increase in various gases, referred to as greenhouse gases (GHGs), being released into the atmosphere, primarily carbon dioxide from the burning of fossil fuels such as oil, gasoline, natural gas, coal, etc.

The impacts from climate change expected in Brantford include increased extreme rain events, increased hot days and hot nights and longer heat waves, increased vector-borne disease (such as Lyme), poorer air quality, increased winter precipitation and shorter warmer winter seasons. These impacts are already happening and will continue to increase for the next century. For additional information of the expected climate impacts to Brantford due to climate change, please visit Climate Data’s Brantford page.

Collectively as a community, and as individuals, we need to focus on reducing our carbon emissions and move toward a carbon neutral future by 2050. This means reducing our emissions as much as possible, and putting in place means of absorbing carbon (such as trees) to offset those emissions that cannot be eliminated otherwise.

For more information on the causes of climate change and how it’s impacting Canada, please visit the Government of Canada’s webpage on climate change.

Take Action on Climate Change

Show us how you are tackling climate change on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter using #BrantfordClimateAction. Making climate change part of the conversation is an important contribution.

Here are some tips and resources for you to get started or continue reducing your emissions at work, home, and in between:

Measure your Carbon Footprint

The first step to making change is understanding where your personal or business carbon emissions are coming from. You can use this online calculator to start to figure that out.

Reduce Electricity and Natural Gas Use

Turn off lights, TV, electronics when you’re done with them
Take advantage of natural daylight and let the sun shine in during the day
Adjust your thermostat at night and when you’re not going to be at home
Wash clothes in cold water and hang clothes to dry outside in the summer and inside in the winter
When it’s cold outside turn down the thermostat (even 1 degree) and put on slippers and a sweater
Reduce wasted energy by improving your building’s envelope by resealing air leaks, adding insulation, replacing windows and doors, and replacing the roof
Improve energy efficiency at home by upgrading lighting and appliances to ENERGY STAR-certified
Reduce your emissions by switching to electric appliances instead of natural gas
Generate your own power at home by installing solar panels or a geothermal system

There are many rebates available to homeowners to retrofit your home through Enbridge, SaveOnEnergy, and the Canada Greener Homes Grant.

Take Low Carbon Transportation

Get active! Bike, walk or rollerblade to school or work. Visit the City’s Active Transportation page.
Take the Bus. Visit the Brantford Transit’s webpage
You can look up bus routes and times here or use the transit option on google maps directions
For your next vehicle purchase, consider an electric vehicle

Ask your school to participate in Active School Travel Planning
Join a cycling club. Check out Brant Cycling Club.
Learn fuel efficient driving techniques from Natural Resources Canada

Reduce Water Use

Install low flow washroom fixtures such as toilets, faucets, and showers. Look for the WaterSense label before buying
Take shorter showers
Only run the dishwasher when you have a full load
Don’t water your lawn and instead only water your gardens
Buy a rain barrel and use rain water for watering your garden or lawn or washing your car
Plant a rain garden to collect the stormwater (rain and melted snow) that runs off your grass, roof, and driveway
Plant native Ontario plant species that are drought tolerant and don’t need to be watered as frequently

For more tips on water conservation, visit our City's Water Conservation page.

Reduce Waste

Participate in the City’s recycling and organics programs by separating recyclable and food waste from the garbage
Separate yard waste (grass, leaves, etc.) for free yard waste collection by the City
Download the recycling coach app to answer all your recycling questions
Pack your lunch for work or school in reusable containers to have a garbage free lunch
Print less at home and work.
Use a reusable water bottle and/or coffee mug
Switch to reusable shopping bags for all your shopping needs

Reduce Emissions from Food

Buy local food at the Brantford Farmer’s Market
Join a community garden such as Equal Ground Community Gardens
Try incorporating more plants into your diet and do Meatless Mondays
Look for certified food labels to help you make sustainable choices like USDA Organic, Non-GMO, Fair Trade, MSC (seafood), and Rainforest Alliance
Grow your own food in a backyard garden or try kitchen windowsill herb planters
Reduce food waste by planning meals, using leftover vegetables in a soup, or freezing leftovers

Get Involved

Join (or start!) an environmental club at school or work
Join or attend the City’s Environmental and Sustainability Policy Advisory Committee
Join the Brant Tree Coalition to plant trees across the City and County.
Follow the City of Brantford and #BrantfordClimateAction on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook to stay up to date with what the City is doing to reduce our impact on climate change.

Sustainable Business Support Office

Businesses play an important role in the fight against climate change. The Chamber of Commerce Brantford-Brant and the City of Brantford have partnered to create a Sustainable Business Support Office to share resources and information on how businesses can reduce their emissions and improve sustainability.

Brantford’s Climate Change Action Plan

The City has prepared a Climate Change Action Plan for both the Corporation and the Community to focus on mitigating our impact on climate change be reducing our GHG emissions.

The City has declared a municipal target of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 for both the Corporation and the community with the following interim targets:

30% reduction from 2018 levels by 2030
80% reduction from 2018 levels by 2040
100% (net-zero) reduction from 2018 levels by 2050

Community Climate Change Action Plan

The Community Climate Change Action Plan (CCAP) focuses on actions that community members can take to reduce their own emissions and provides tools to make behavioural changes, such as reducing single passenger vehicles, making homes and buildings more energy efficient, reducing waste and water use, and focusing on carbon offsets that absorb emissions from the atmosphere.

Download the City of Brantford’s Community Climate Change Action Plan.

Corporate Climate Change Action Plan

The Corporate CCAP provides a plan for reducing GHG emissions emitted by the Corporation of the City of Brantford. This includes any emissions that are produced by any City owned or managed assets including buildings, fleet, water and wastewater treatment facilities, streetlights and traffic signals, and emissions from the landfill.

The City of Brantford is a member of the Partners for Climate Protection which is a program from the Federation of Canadian Municipalities and ICLEI to support municipalities with their work toward climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts. Brantford joined this network in 1996 and has worked toward completing the five milestones that are part of the program for addressing climate change mitigation. The City of Brantford achieved the fifth and final milestone for both the Corporate and Community streams in February 2024.

Climate Action Plan Timeline
Milestone	Action	Status
One	Complete a baseline emissions inventory	Complete
Two	Set emission reduction targets	Complete
Three	Prepare a Climate Change Action Plan	Complete
Four	Implement Climate Change Action Plan	Complete
Five	Ongoing monitoring and review	Complete

Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory

The City conducted a Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory for both corporate and community emission sources to identify the baseline emissions level from which we can track progress toward our carbon neutral goal. Emissions will be tracked annually and an update will be posted here every other year.

Corporate Emissions from 2018 to 2022
Sector	Emission Source	2018 GHG (T of CO2e)	2021 GHG (T of CO2e)	2022 GHG (T of CO2e)	Change (2018 to 2022)
Buildings	Electricity & Natural Gas	7,192	6,462	6,457	-10%
Fleet	Gasoline & Diesel	6,622	6,485	7,146	+8%
Streetlights & Traffic Lights	Electricity	235	174	140	-40%
Water/Wastewater	Electricity & Natural Gas	1,436	1,517	1,415	-1%
Total		15,485	14,637	15,158	-2%

Community Emissions from 2018 to 2022
Sector	Emission Source	2018 GHG (T of CO2e)	2021 GHG (T of CO2e)	2022 GHG (T of CO2e)	Change (2018 to 2022)
Transportation	Gasoline & Diesel	220,669	225,714	216,851	-2%
Residential	Electricity & Natural Gas	146,801	130,406	142,563	-3%
Commercial/ Institutional	Electricity & Natural Gas	142,049	102,848	114,754	-19%
Industrial	Electricity & Natural Gas	132,207	145,688	153,605	+16%
Landfill	Methane Gas	146,213	111,838	113,728	-22%
Total		787,939	716,494	741,501	-6%

City of Brantford 2021-2022 Corporate-Community Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory

Climate Emergency Declaration

In 2019, the City of Brantford Council declared a Climate Emergency stating that Canada has disproportionately contributed to the climate and ecological crises, and that emergency mobilization on an unprecedented scale will be required. Furthermore, the City agrees, in principle, to becoming a net-zero carbon community by 2050.

The climate emergency declaration also requested that staff develop a process by which all matters coming before council consider and quantify (where possible) the impacts on climate change. As a result of this, all staff reports that come before council will have a discussion section for climate change and environmental impacts where information on this topic will be provided for Council to aid in their decision making. Where it is feasible to do so, an estimated total lifetime GHG emissions will be calculated and provided for Council’s information. This information will be consolidated quarterly and annual reports with this information will be provided to the public. These reports will be posted on this webpage when available. This process is under development and will be in effect November 1, 2021.