Canada Announces New Energy and Emissions Database

TATAMAGOUCHE, NS, May 17, 2021 /CNW/ - Improvements in energy efficiency are critical to reaching net-zero emissions by 2050. The Government of Canada is building a clean energy future to strengthen the economy, create jobs and support the natural resource sectors as we recover from COVID-19.

Lenore Zann, Member of Parliament for Cumberland–Colchester, on behalf of the Honourable Seamus O'Regan Jr., Minister of Natural Resources, today announced an $80,000 investment to Sustainability Solutions Group to support the development of the Municipal Energy and Emission Database (MEED), an integrated geospatial platform that tracks greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for municipalities across Canada.

The MEED was developed by Sustainability Solutions Group, a climate planning consultancy that has created community energy and emissions plans for over 60 municipalities, and whatIf? Technologies, experts in energy, emissions and financial modelling. Funding was provided by Natural Resources Canada's GeoConnections Program, which facilitates sharing and use of geospatial information about Canada's lands, people and natural resources to support economic, social and environmental priorities.

The platform supports open knowledge and data sharing among municipalities, particularly smaller and medium-sized municipalities, allowing greater access to standardized data on energy use and GHG emissions to support land-use planning, policy development and program design. This information is critical for designing effective plans for reducing GHG emissions.  

The government is supporting green infrastructure projects that create good jobs and advance Canada's green future.

Quotes

"Better data for municipalities means better planning and better energy efficiency, getting us a third of the way to our Paris targets. This is how we get to net zero."

The Honourable Seamus O'Regan Jr.
Minister of Natural Resources

"Canadians want their government to continue to take action in the fight against climate change. This project will provide communities with the resources they need to take a vital role in this fight by tracking their own GHG emissions, improving energy efficiency and working together to build a strong, clean energy future." 

Lenore Zann
Member of Parliament for Cumberland–Colchester

"Communities need up-to-date GHG inventories to improve energy efficiency and take effective climate action. In the past, creating inventories has been costly. Now, MEED is making inventories available free of charge so citizens, businesses and governments can get right down to fighting climate change."

Yuill Herbert
Sustainability Solutions Group Workers Co-operative

Quick facts

• MEED leverages geospatial analysis, systems dynamics and machine learning methods to downscale provincial energy and GHG inventory to the municipal scale.
• The dataset is a beta version, available for review and application by governments, industry and academics.

Associated Links

GeoConnections Program 
Canada's Spatial Data Infrastructure 
Sustainability Solutions Group 
whatIf? Technologies Inc. 


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SOURCE Natural Resources Canada

Natural Resources Canada, Media Relations, 343-292-6100, [e-mail]; Ian Cameron, Senior Communications Advisor, Office of the Minister of Natural Resources, 613-447-3488, [e-mail]