The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) was established by the United Nations and is universally recognized as the leading authority on the science of climate change. The most recent findings from the IPCC conclude that climate change is "unequivocal" and that human activity is the main cause.

The burning of fossil fuels to meet the demand for energy coupled with deforestation has caused the greenhouse gas (GHG) concentrations to shift out of balance. The primary and most talked about GHG is carbon dioxide. Methane, nitrous oxides, sulphur oxides and volatile organic compounds are also GHGs contributing to global warming.

In 2019, according to NASA, the level of carbon dioxide (CO₂) in the atmosphere has grown to 412 parts per million (ppm), a nearly 47 percent increase from pre-industrial levels. Concentrations of other GHG have also increased greatly.

Greenhouse gases work like a greenhouse, trapping heat from the Earth that would otherwise escape. GHGs, when in a natural balance with other gases make life on earth possible. As the concentration of GHGs in the atmosphere increases, the ability for these gases to trap heat increases. Over the last century, the mean temperature on Earth has increased by 1°C, in Canada the mean temperature has risen by over 1.5°C. The past five years have been the hottest five on record.

The impacts of global warming are much more than just a mean temperature increase of a couple of degrees. With the rise in temperatures, glaciers around the world are melting, and there has been a notable increase in the number of extreme weather events, such as hurricanes, tornadoes, and flooding. The term "climate change" is now being used instead of the term "global warming." 

High levels of greenhouse gases can also be associated with poor air quality. 

How are we doing?

Greenhouse gas emissions are inventoried for both the corporate City of Windsor and the community at large. The inventory includes GHGs from electricity, district energy and natural gas consumption; fuels required for vehicles; and waste disposal. Waste disposal is not included in the corporate inventory, as corporate waste is not tracked separately from community waste. The inventory is designed to estimate GHGs generated from different sources of energy (i.e. electricity, natural gas, gasoline, diesel, etc.) and presents the findings as equivalent tonnes of carbon dioxide (eCO₂).

Visit the Corporate Energy Initiatives​ page for more details about the energy reporting requirements under the Green Energy Act Ontario Regulation 397/11.

The City of Windsor's Corporate eCO₂ emissions

 

The above graph charts corporate greenhouse gas emissions between 2010 and 2019. The City of Windsor's building emissions increased in 2014 following the opening of Adventure Bay and Fire Hall 7. The rainy conditions also increased the electrical demand for the City's wastewater system. An increase in corporate building emissions in 2018 and beyond is attributed to the conversion to combined heat and power systems at both Huron Lodge and the WFCU Centre, which produce more heat and emissions than electricity from the grid.

 

As detailed in the chart above, in 2019, our corporate greenhouse gas emissions were broken down into the following categories: 58% from buildings, 31% from vehicle fleet, 0.35% from streetlights and 11% from sewage treatment.