The Vancouver City Council has voted unanimously to support a shift toward the city's deriving 100% of its energy from renewable sources.
Upon making the proclamation, Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson directed staff to report back by autumn with a reasonable timeline on which to meet the goal.
"Cities around the world must show continued leadership to meet the urgent challenge of climate change, and the most impactful change we can make is a shift toward 100 percent of our energy being derived from renewable sources," Robertson says. "The future of Vancouver's economy and livability will depend on our ability to confront and adapt to climate change, and moving toward renewable energy is another way that Vancouver is working to become the greenest city in the world."
The motion follows a recent call for a nation-wide shift to renewable energy by more than 70 leading Canadian academics nationwide, and action by at least 10 other world-class leading cities such as San Francisco, Sydney, Stockholm and Copenhagen to adopt targets to shift to 100% renewable power and go fossil-fuel free before 2050.
The city council also called for increased advocacy from regional, provincial and national governments to support an international agreement that commits to 100% renewable energy sources. Vancouver will host renewable energy leaders from around the world for the 2015 Renewable Cities Global Learning Forum from May 13 – 15.
To read the text of Robertson's full promotion, click here.
