Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions Through Land Use Planning

The Province of Quebec has published a best Practice guide entitled Reduction of Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Land Use Planning. The Report addresses the different urban forms that can contribute in reducing pollution linked to transportation, the sector that produces the greatest portion of human generated greenhouse gases in Quebec.

The report focuses on urban management strategies that may have an impact on transport modes as well as on the length and frequency of urban trips. The guide also addresses development strategies for transport infrastructures, urban forestry and green spaces.

The Guide is available on the Quebec Government's website.

From the report's introduction:

"The international scientific community recognizes that the increase in greenhouse gases (GHG) is one of the leading causes of climate change, and that its consequences will be increasingly felt in the coming decades.

In Québec, greenhouse gas emissions stemming from human activity reached an estimated 81.9 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent in 1991 and 83.4 million tonnes in 1996. If nothing is done to check such emissions, they will reach 94.1 million tonnes in 2011 and 105.1 million tonnes in 2026.1 It is against this backdrop, in keeping with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and in conjunction with talks stemming from the ratification of the Kyoto Protocol, that Québec has adopted an action plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions."

Thanks to Pierre Blais, urbaniste