Selkirk’s Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Accountability By-law
Council of the City of Selkirk enacted its Greenhouse Gas Accountability By-law in November of 2021.
When reduced to its simplest terms, the by-law aims to achieve fresh air by reducing the production of Greenhouse Gases created through doing city business and contributing to global reduction of carbon emissions.
The by-law does three important things.
- Mandates the tracking and reporting of Selkirk’s corporate and community GHG emissions using internationally-recognized standards.
- Sets new GHG reduction targets that are consistent with global effort to keep climate increase to just 1.5 degrees or less.
- Establishes a financial framework – a clean and transparent way to ensure we can meet the targets we’ve set.
View By-law 5360 – The City of Selkirk Greenhouse Gas Accountability By-Law here.
Tracking and Reporting on community and corporate GHGs
Using internationally recognized standards developed by the Carbon Disclosure Project, Selkirk has been tracking and is now reporting on community and corporate greenhouse gas emissions, both to Selkirk Council as well as the public.
Corporate GHG Tracking and Reporting
Corporate GHG tracking is the process by which businesses and organizations measure, monitor, and report their greenhouse gas emissions.
The City’s annual corporate GHG emission inventory is compiled using the Greenhouse Gas Protocol Corporate Standards to calculate emissions of all City-owned and operated assets. This is the most current and widely recognized standard for reporting and recording GHG emissions nationally. Once all data becomes available from internal and external sources, emissions inventories are calculated annually for the previous year.
Below you will see a chart detailing Selkirk’s corporate emissions trends from 2016-2023.
View Corporate Emission Reports
Community GHG Tracking and Reporting
Community GHG tracking is the process by which residential, commercial and industrial buildings measure, monitor, and report greenhouse gas emissions.
The City’s annual community GHG emissions inventory is compiled using the Greenhouse Gas Protocol Standards to calculate emissions from community electricity, fuel consumption and emissions from solid waste disposal. Once all data from internal and external sources become available, emissions inventories are calculated annually for the previous year.
Below you will see a chart detailing Selkirk’s community emissions trends from 2016-2023.
View Community Emission Reports
In the News
What are Greenhouse Gases (GHGs)?
Greenhouse gases, also knows as GHGs, are atmospheric compounds that play a crucial role in regulating Earth’s temperature by trapping heat from the sun within the atmosphere, a phenomenon known as the greenhouse effect. Common greenhouse gases include carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), and nitrous oxide (N2O), as well as water vapor and ozone. While these gases are essential for maintaining life-sustaining temperatures, human activities such as burning fossil fuels and deforestation have significantly increased their concentrations, intensifying the natural greenhouse effect. This enhancement leads to global warming and contributes to climate change, resulting in adverse environmental effects such as rising sea levels, extreme weather events, and shifts in ecosystems.
What is the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP)?
The CDP is a not-for-profit charity that runs the global disclosure system for investors, companies, cities, states and regions to manage their environmental impacts. The world’s economy looks to CDP as the gold standard of environmental reporting with the richest and most comprehensive dataset on corporate and city action. Learn more about the Carbon Disclosure Project here.
Questions
Any questions or comments can be directed to CitizenSupport.
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 204-785-4900
