Fiera Real Estate Canada – the current owner of Richmond’s Airport Executive Park (AEP) – is aiming to achieve net-zero emissions by 2040, partly through the installation of electric heat pumps that will replace its gas-fired heating systems… And while 25 years from today may seem like a long time, experts warn Canada isn’t making progress fast enough to achieve its goal. The clock began ticking in 2021 when the federal government adopted the Canadian Net-Zero Emissions Accountability Act, aiming for net-zero emissions by 2050, with an interim target of GHG reductions hitting at least 40 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030. …“It’s hard to see how we’re going to achieve the interim standards for the building sector by 2030, and if we don’t reach them, the climb to 2050 is going to be a lot harder,” says Thomas Mueller, CEO of the Canada Green Building Council (CAGBC).
A group of UBC academics has compiled a list of ways to ensure this Christmas has as little effect on the environment as possible. …“Natural Christmas trees are more sustainable than artificial ones, which produce three times the emissions,” says Jiaying Zhao, associate professor in the department of psychology and the Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability. She—also suggests renting potted Christmas trees. Johan Foster, a professor of chemical and biological engineering, says most fake Christmas trees contain polyvinyl chloride or PVC, which sheds microplastics indoors and is not good for children or pets. …Guangyu Wang, an associate professor in the faculty of forestry, suggests using a real Christmas tree and planting it in a biodegradable pot, which eliminates the environmental impacts of disposal, allows the tree to continue sequestering carbon and prevents methane emissions from trees decomposing in landfills.
The European Council has given the green light to the certification framework for carbon removals which includes carbon storage activities that capture & store carbon in long-lasting products for at least 35 years such as wood-based construction products. It is the first EU-level certification framework for permanent carbon removals, carbon farming and carbon storage in products. This voluntary framework will facilitate and encourage high-quality carbon removal and soil emission reduction activities in the EU, as a complement to sustained emission reductions. …Carbon removal activities will have to meet overarching criteria in order to be certified: they must bring about a quantified net carbon removal benefit, they must be additional, they must aim to ensure long-term storage of carbon while minimising the risk of carbon release and do no significant harm to the environment. In addition, activities eligible for certification will need to be independently verified by third-party certification bodies.