November 3, 2022
Mayor Amarjeet Sohi and Stephanie McCabe, Deputy City Manager of Urban Planning and Economy, will be part of a provincial delegation of policy makers and thought leaders attending the 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27) in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt from November 8-12. The conference runs from November 6-18.
“Mid-sized cities like Edmonton play an important role in combating climate change,” said Mayor Sohi. “Mayors in these mid-sized municipalities around the world recognize the urgency of this issue and can make meaningful change through land use planning and zoning, investing in green infrastructure, active transport, hydrogen and clean energy programs.”
While in Egypt, Mayor Sohi will participate on a panel moderated by Carol Saab, Chief Executive Officer of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities about municipal leadership in achieving net zero emissions. This panel provides an important opportunity to showcase new technologies, programs and policies as the City continues its shift towards a low carbon economy. Some of these include:
- The Energy Transition Strategy which has reduced community greenhouse gas emissions by close to 4 million tCO2e (tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent) since 2015.
- The purchase of Renewable Energy Credits which will supply City operations with 100 per cent renewable electricity by 2024. This will prevent over 95,000 tonnes of carbon per year from entering the atmosphere.
- Introducing both hydrogen fuel cell electric and battery electric buses into the City’s transit fleet.
- Piloting the first hydrogen vehicle fueling station in Alberta.
- Installing solar photovoltaic arrays on nine facilities, with another eight in construction which have a total potential generation capacity of more than 5 MW.
- Working towards the ambitious goal of accommodating 50 per cent of future growth in Edmonton within existing neighbourhoods and reaching the target of 50 per cent of total trips taken in the city by transit and active modes.
Mayor Sohi will also be participating in the Sustainable Cities Forum and Hydrogen Transition Summit where he will highlight that the Edmonton Region is a hydrogen and CCUS hub that is driving net zero industrial and energy production investments to the region and beyond.
“The City of Edmonton is committed to transitioning to a low-carbon future and reaching net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050,” said Mayor Sohi. “Sharing ideas and information on projects like these and hearing from other international climate leaders will help us reach that target and preserve Edmonton’s environment now and for future generations.”
“Transforming our energy system and reaching net-zero by 2050 requires significant global action,” said Brian Vaasjo, Capital Power President & CEO. “We’re excited to attend COP27 to share our decarbonization story and highlight some of the leading-edge projects that are underway in Alberta. West of Edmonton, our Genesee Generating Station is a hub of innovation as we repower the facility to best-in-class natural gas technology, deploy batteries, and advance plans to add carbon capture and sequestration to make the facility a near-zero emission source of reliable power. COP27 is an exciting opportunity to listen, learn and help advance sustainable solutions for people and the planet.”
“The Edmonton region is one of the few places in the world that can produce net-zero hydrogen, at a low cost and at a global scale,” said Malcolm Bruce, CEO of Edmonton Global. “Industry, governments, and organizations are collaborating together across our region to transition hard to decarbonize industries to hydrogen. This is one of the messages being carried into COP27. It’s critical for the world to know what’s possible here and to invite others to join us.”
“It is incredibly important for leaders from countries around the world to hear first-hand about the meaningful actions Alberta is taking to support net-zero targets,” said Justin Riemer, Chief Executive Officer of Emissions Reduction Alberta. “In the areas of hydrogen development, carbon sequestration, methane detection, and more, Alberta is demonstrating some of the most interesting technologies at an industrial scale. COP is an opportunity for us to create meaningful international connections and support climate change reduction technology investments here at home and around the world.”
The Edmonton region is also home to a world class post-secondary and innovation ecosystem that has and will continue to provide much-needed climate solutions to the world.
"A global leader in energy research, the University of Alberta's researchers are finding new ways to deliver sustainable energy systems,” said Bill Flanagan, U of A President. “This leadership will be on display at COP27, where we will showcase the U of A's groundbreaking work on developing clean energy solutions for the future.”
