The Greenest City 2020 Action Plan (GCAP) has wrapped up: a decade-long effort to make Vancouver a greener place to live, work, and play. We hit eight of our 18 targets, and even where we did not cross the finish line, we made significant progress in each of our 10 goal areas.
Through the processes, we learned a lot, and take those lessons with us as we continue with our work.
What we have learned
What's happeningNext steps
So much has changed since the Greenest City Action Plan was conceived over a decade years ago. GCAP, has been instrumental in guiding our actions towards zero carbon emissions, zero waste, and healthy ecosystems.
We’re now building on those successes and more aggressively reducing Vancouver’s carbon pollution in alignment with the latest climate science. Our climate work will continue through the Climate Emergency Action Plan (CEAP), which will cut Vancouver’s carbon pollution in half by 2030, and our Climate Change Adaptation Strategy, preparing Vancouver for climate impacts. Additionally, the Vancouver Plan will continue to engage residents on a broader environmental plan.
Documents
How we developed the plan
Work on the Greenest City Action Plan began in 2009, with the Greenest City Action Team. This group of local experts researched best practices from leading green cities around the world, and established the goals and targets that would make Vancouver the world’s greenest city. This work was published in Vancouver 2020: A Bright Green Future.
Our work before the Greenest City Action Plan
Before the Greenest City initiative, we had already made significant advances in our efforts to address climate change and create a sustainable city.