The Canadian Municipal Water Consortium’s Net-Zero Strategic Sharing Group met for the second time on June 9, 2022. Utility leaders engaged in a dialogue around the challenges and opportunities utilities face in measuring, modelling and tracking GHG emissions. Participants also explored the role of measuring GHG emissions in establishing and fulfilling each city’s and/or utility’s net-zero goals.

Some key takeaways that emerged from the group’s discussion were that:

• Most Canadian utilities have started tracking GHG emissions to some extent and are taking an iterative approach towards more comprehensive tracking. An important next step for utilities is moving from assessing energy use in utility operations for cost-driven purposes to accounting for GHG emissions more broadly.
• N₂O is a significant GHG from wastewater treatment plants that many utilities are likely not fully accounting for due to limitations in estimation and measurement approaches.
• Developing a more comprehensive GHG inventory is an important foundation for better informing decision-making on carbon mitigation strategies that are tailored to the local context.

The Net-Zero Strategic Sharing Group provides opportunities to share knowledge on how the Canadian water sector can take an ambitious, leadership role in bringing Canada closer to a net-zero future. More information about the Strategic Sharing Group is available here.

Have questions about the Strategic Sharing Group? Contact Sandra Cooke, Director of the Municipal Consortium, at [email protected]