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The Partners for Climate Protection (PCP) program is a network of Canadian municipal governments that have committed to reducing greenhouse gases and acting on climate change.
PCP is the Canadian component of ICLEI's Cities for Climate Protection (CCP) network, which involves more than 900 communities worldwide. PCP is a partnership between the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) and ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability. PCP receives financial support from FCM’s Green Municipal Fund™.
Why act locally on climate change?
Municipal governments have an important contribution to make to climate protection. Up to half of Canada’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are under the direct or indirect control or influence of municipal governments. By 2012, communities could cut GHG emissions by 20 to 50 Mt from municipal operations and community-wide initiatives with investments in environmental infrastructure and sustainable transportation infrastructure.
Act Locally — The Municipal Role in Fighting Climate Change New
This new report from FCM chronicles what Canada’s municipalities are doing to reduce GHG emissions — and how much more they could do as full partners in a national climate change strategy.
Demonstrating Results — National Measures Report 2009 New
In 2009, the Partners for Climate Protection program (PCP) gathered and analyzed data on initiatives implemented by municipal governments in Canada to reduce GHG emissions at the corporate and community levels and compiled them in a National Measures Database. A summary report on the analysis has just been released and the results are clear: municipalities are significantly reducing GHG emissions in Canada, providing real solutions and leading the fight against climate change.
For more information, please contact:
Devin Causley, Senior Program Officer,
613-907-6370 - dcausley@fcm.ca |
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PCP is based on the CCP Campaign of a five milestone framework used to guide municipalities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The five milestone process is a performance-based model which remains flexible; milestones do not need to be completed in sequential order. Each milestone provides an opportunity for municipal capacity building.
The five milestones are:
- Milestone 1: Creating a greenhouse gas emissions inventory and forecast;
- Milestone 2: Setting an emissions reductions target;
- Milestone 3: Developing a local action plan;
- Milestone 4: Implementing the local action plan or a set of activities; and
- Milestone 5: Monitoring progress and reporting results.
Milestones can be implemented either in numeric order or in the order that is most appropriate for your community. While many municipal governments start by completing a greenhouse gas inventory, others have moved immediately to actions aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
See the Five-Milestone Framework for Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions for an overview of the PCP five-milestone framework and a list of resources available to help you achieve each milestone.
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Participants
For a full listing of municipalities participating in PCP and their milestone status visit:
Municipal participants and milestone status |
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Climate change 
An international scientific consensus has emerged that our world is getting warmer. Abundant data demonstrate that global climate was warmed during the past 150 years. The increase in temperature was not constant, but rather consisted of warming and cooling cycles at intervals of several decades. Nonetheless, the long term trend is one of net global warming. Corresponding with this warming, alpine glaciers have been retreating, sea levels have risen, and climatic zones are shifting.
Climate scientists around the world agree that average global temperatures could rise by 1.4 to 5.8 degrees Celsius by the end of this century. This increase will not be distributed evenly around the globe; in Canada, this could mean an increase in annual mean temperatures in some regions of more than 5 degrees.
Climate change is more than a warming trend. Increasing temperatures will lead to changes in many aspects of weather, such as wind patterns, the amount and type of precipitation, and the types and frequency of severe weather events that may be expected to occur. Such climate change could have far-reaching and/or unpredictable environmental, social and economic consequences.
The 1980s and 1990s are the warmest decades on record, with 1998 the warmest year. The 10 warmest years in global meteorological history have all occurred in the past 15 years. The 20th century has been the warmest globally in the past 1000 years.
For more information on climate change, visit these websites:
The City Climate Catalogue
Environment Canada - Climate Change
Environment Canada - Canada’s GHG inventory
Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation Research Network (C-CIARN)
Canadian Centre for Environmental Modeling and Analysis, Environment Canada, Surface Temperature Change Video, (Video) (Website)
PCP council resolution
A council resolution is all it takes to enrol your municipality as a member of PCP.
What happens next?
Step one: Contact FCM for your PCP orientation package pcp@fcm.ca.
Step two: Download the sample resolution to join PCP or contact FCM.
Step three: Appoint a staff and elected official liaisons to be the main contacts with FCM.
Step four: Fax (613) 244-1515 or mail your adopted Council resolution, along with the staff liaison’s contact information, to FCM.
Step five: FCM will mail you an information package along with a list of resources and the PCP Milestone Framework.
Step six: Consider applying to FCM's Green Municipal Fund (GMF) for a 50% grant to complete milestones 2 and 3.
PCP requests that members identify both a staff and elected official as contacts so that momentum for activities can be maintained at both the operational and political levels. In many cases communities have also chosen to establish an internal or community task force to lead the PCP process.
Joining Resolution A municipal government can join PCP by adopting the council resolution.
PCP Overview Brochure Summary of the PCP program, process and resources including the five steps to participation.
Action Guide Ten short-term actions a municipal government can take to reduce GHG emissions and save money in municipal opperations and the community.
FCM Model Climate Change Action Plan 
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