A message from the District of Muskoka
The District of Muskoka is excited to celebrate Earth Day 2021 with the launch of an extensive community-wide greenhouse gas (GHG) initiative that will engage community groups, businesses, area municipalities, utility companies, and schools to raise awareness of climate change causes and impacts, and explore ways that we can work together across sectors and communities in Muskoka to reduce emissions.
The District is a partner in the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) Partners for Climate Protection (PCP) program and developed a GHG baseline inventory for both the corporate GHG emissions and community emissions as part of the initiative. Public input, combined with the corporate and community emission inventories, will be used to develop strategies to reduce emissions across Muskoka. A community working group is being established and dates for community engagement events will be announced in May.
On December 21, 2020, District Council approved “A New Leaf”, a comprehensive climate strategy designed to tackle climate change at the corporate and community level. The strategy includes the Muskoka Climate Change Action Plan (MCCAP) to strengthen the District’s resiliency to climatic changes and reduce its GHG emissions. Learn more about the District’s New Leaf Strategy and other climate initiatives at: www.muskoka.on.ca/climatechange
“Council adopted a resolution that incorporated recommendations from Climate Action Muskoka and also launched a comprehensive climate change strategy which targets a reduction in GHG emissions of 50 per cent by 2030 and net-zero by 2050, along with a number of other climate-related actions,” said District Chair John Klinck. “Today’s launch of the GHG initiative is an important step in bringing the New Leaf Strategy into action corporately in District operations, but also more broadly by engaging all Muskokans to create a community strategy that will help us reach those targets working together.”
“Over the past several years, the District of Muskoka has recognized the importance of adapting to, and mitigating for, climate change and has undertaken several related initiatives, including flood plain mapping for high-risk vulnerable areas across Muskoka and declaring a climate emergency,” said Kevin Boyle, climate change coordinator with the District of Muskoka. “The District will be continuing climate outreach and educational programs in 2021 as well as strengthening partnerships needed to move climate action forward in Muskoka.”
For updates, visit the Muskoka GHG initiative project page on Engage Muskoka at: engagemuskoka.ca/greenhouse-gas-initiative
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I am overjoyed to see this initiative and will do everything in my power to join the community effort.
Perhaps The New Leaf would examine the role of corporate farms (NOT FAMILY FARMS) in the production of greenhouse games. There practices in raising cattle, pigs& chickens and the slaughter daily in the millions , are responsible for far more greenhouse gas emissions than all carbon fuel production and use put together !