Taking Action on Climate - an Integrated Approach
Climate action is embedded within all aspects of the RDN's work and within both high-level strategic policy and day-to-day operational plans. Goals and action for climate adaptation and mitigation are included in the RDN's Regional Growth Strategy and Electoral Area Official Community Plans to help guide land use development in a way that is more sustainable and better adapted to the anticipated effects of climate change. Service-specific plans like the Drinking Water and Watershed Protection Action Plan, Transit Planning, and the Solid Waste Management Plan also prioritize climate action. This integrated approach helps ensure that opportunities for climate adaptation and mitigation are identified and acted upon within all RDN services and operations.
Energy and Climate Change Plans
In addition to integrating climate change throughout its policy, the RDN has developed a specific plan for achieving corporate carbon neutrality by 2032, and a plan that guides actions for community climate adaptation and mitigation.
Corporate Carbon Neutral 2032 Plan
The RDN adopted the Corporate Carbon Neutral 2032 Plan (CCNP) in April 2021. The CCNP identifies actions required to reduce emissions from RDN services in support of carbon neutrality over the long term. The CCNP is a key part of the RDN's Strategic Goal to be a leader in climate change adaptation and mitigation and to become net zero by 2032.
The CCNP was developed by internal subject matter experts and with input from the RDN's Climate Action Technical Advisory Committee (CATAC). This approach helped identify potential barriers to action and ensured the inclusion of solutions to overcome barriers should any arise; enabling the RDN to implement climate-friendly approaches and technologies more effectively.
In 2002, the RDN and the City of Nanaimo joined the Federation of Canadian Municipalities' Partners for Climate Change Protection (PCP). The PCP is a network of Canadian municipal governments that have committed to reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and to acting on climate change. Through the support of this network and funding from the Federation of Canadian Municipalities' Green Fund, the RDN and its municipal partners developed two climate change plans for both corporate operations and community planning.
Climate Action Technical Advisory Committee Final Report
The RDN's Climate Action Technical Advisory Committee (CATAC) was established in 2020 to provide advice and recommendations to the RDN board on emerging climate issues and to update the RDN's strategy for community climate mitigation and adaptation. The CATAC was comprised of local experts in engineering, renewable energy, hydrology, resource management and land use planning, among other fields, working collaboratively with elected officials. In November 2021, the RDN Board approved the CATAC's final report which specifies top priority actions for improving community climate adaptation and mitigation within the RDN. The top three actions recommended for immediate implementation include water supply resiliency, removing barriers to climate action in policies and bylaws, and increasing support for home energy efficiency retrofits. The final report can be viewed below.
Past Work
In 2013, the RDN completed the Community Energy and Emissions Plan (CEEP). The CEEP provides an energy use and emission inventory for the RDN and member municipalities for the year 2007, a forecast for emissions to the year 2050, establishes an aspirational emission reduction target of 80% below 2007 levels by 2050; and outlines the range of reduction measures necessary to achieve that target.
