Toronto’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions increased in 2022. The 2022 inventory results, although increasing slightly in emissions community-wide, remain generally consistent with an overall downward trend in emissions over time; however, the current pace of emissions reductions is unlikely to meet the City’s 2025 emissions target. Toronto must continue to scale up its GHG emissions reduction programs and initiatives to reach its interim targets and net zero by 2040.
The City’s 2022 Sector-Based Emissions Inventory (SBEI) tracks Toronto’s progress towards its GHG emissions reduction targets and identifies direct and indirect greenhouse gas emissions from three key sectors: buildings, transportation and waste. The sources that contribute the largest percentage of emissions in Toronto are natural gas heating in residential buildings (29 per cent of Toronto’s community-wide emissions) and gasoline combustion in passenger vehicles (23 per cent of emissions).
Toronto’s future sector-based reduction targets from 1990 levels are: 45 per cent by 2025, 65 per cent by 2030 and net zero by 2040. Meeting Toronto’s 2025 target is at risk if the upward trend in GHG emissions continues.
Buildings remained the primary source of GHG emissions in Toronto in 2022, accounting for 56 per cent of community-wide emissions, a slight increase in emissions share from 55 per cent in 2021. The largest source of these emissions was fossil (natural) gas heating in residential buildings, accounting for 29 per cent of community-wide emissions in 2022. Fossil (natural) gas emissions from residential buildings have remained relatively stable since 1990.
In 2022, the City of Toronto’s corporate emissions from City-owned buildings, vehicle fleets, waste, and water supply and wastewater treatment were 0.83MT, accounting for about five per cent of Toronto’s community-wide emissions. Corporate emissions increased four per cent since 2021, from 0.80 MT. These emissions were 13 per cent below 2008 levels and it will require a concerted effort to reach the 2030 target of a 65 per cent GHG emissions reduction from 2008 levels.
Corporate emissions were roughly equally distributed across the buildings, transportation, and water and wastewater sectors in 2022. Although emissions sources are equal across these sectors, the City has existing policies and processes, such as the corporate carbon budget, enabling immediate action to reduce buildings and transportation emissions. Supported by these tools, the City aims to reduce its use of fossil fuels to heat City- and TCHC-owned buildings [fossil (natural) gas] and power fleet vehicles (diesel and gasoline).
As a Global Covenant of Mayors signatory, the City of Toronto has been disclosing its GHG emissions inventory and its climate mitigation and adaptation actions annually to the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) in order to share Toronto’s progress and benchmark against other cities facing similar challenges.
For the fifth year in a row, the City of Toronto is recognized on the 2023 Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) Cities “A” List for its leadership and transparency on climate action. Toronto was one of 119 cities globally to receive an “A” rating. At the time of 2022 SBEI report publication, the 2024 CDP results have not been released.
The City follows the Greenhouse Gas Protocol for its sector-based emissions inventory.