Back to SearchThe City of Kitchener has been recognized as an ‘A-list city’ in a global ranking conducted by the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP). Kitchener’s actions, internal strategies and participation in the Transform WR climate action plan have led to this recognition which highlights only 95 global cities including Copenhagen and Tokyo for taking the lead on climate change. Only seven Canadian cities achieved this global ranking, including Kitchener.
The CDP’s Cities A List is based on environmental data – for the first time, over 1,000 cities are reporting their environmental impact. ‘A-list cities’ are demonstrating climate leadership through concerted and effective action, just as national governments were asked to do at the COP26 conference last week.
“Coming out of COP26, I couldn’t be prouder of Kitchener for being recognized as an ‘A-list city’ by the Carbon Disclosure project,” said Kitchener Mayor Berry Vrbanovic. “As was heard countless times at COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland, the time for real climate action is now. Organizations like the CDP and their ranking systems are an important way to keep ourselves accountable to our climate actions commitments – which is why I’m so pleased that our strategies and our community’s collaborative efforts are being recognized.”
According to the CDP, ‘A-list cities’ are taking twice as many mitigation and adaptation measures as non-A List cities and identify more than twice as many opportunities - such as the development of sustainable transportation and the implementation of clean technology.
One such opportunity was the conversion of Kitchener’s streetlights to LEDs. In 2017, Kitchener’s 15,636 streetlights were converted to LED. Another example of Kitchener’s action is the adoption of a new anti-idling bylaw in 2020, requiring motorists to turn off their engines after three consecutive minutes of idling. The City of Kitchener has also developed a Corporate Climate Action Plan, laying out and implementing a variety of strategies for reducing greenhouse gas emissions generated by City operations. Additionally, the City has launched an Energy Efficiency Reserve Fund, which takes the money Kitchener saves from energy-efficiency projects to fund more such projects – a continuous cycle of cost saving and efficiency.
Lastly but perhaps most significantly, this past summer Kitchener adopted the Transform Waterloo Region climate action strategy, an ambitious plan for all of Waterloo Region to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 80 per cent by the year 2050.
These actions are among those that the City has laid out in its 2019-2022 Strategic Plan, which identifies environmental leadership as a primary goal.
CDP is a global non-profit that runs the world’s environmental disclosure system for companies, cities, states and regions. Founded in 2000 and working with more than 590 investors with over $110 trillion in assets, CDP pioneered using capital markets and corporate procurement to motivate companies to disclose their environmental impacts, and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, safeguard water resources and protect forests.
More information about the City of Kitchener’s climate action can be found at kitchener.ca/sustainability.
For more information, contact:
Bethany Rowland
Director, Corporate Communications and Marketing
Bethany.rowland@kitchener.ca
George Bush
CDP Communications Manager
george.bush@cdp.net
About CDP
CDP is a global non-profit that runs the world’s environmental disclosure system for companies, cities, states and regions. Founded in 2000 and working with more than 590 investors with over $110 trillion in assets, CDP pioneered using capital markets and corporate procurement to motivate companies to disclose their environmental impacts, and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, safeguard water resources and protect forests.
Over 14,000 organizations around the world disclosed data through CDP in 2021, including more than 13,000 companies worth over 64 per cent of global market capitalization, and over 1,100 cities, states and regions. CDP is a founding member of the Science Based Targets initiative, We Mean Business Coalition, The Investor Agenda and the Net Zero Asset Managers initiative. Visit cdp.net or follow us @CDP to find out more.
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