Hot off the digital press – the final Toronto Air Emissions Inventory is now available. Click here to download a copy (Acrobat format).

	Mayor David Miller plugs in to hybrid power as project participants look on. Photo: Ken Davies.

What if your hybrid vehicle came with an extension cord to charge up an advanced lithium ion battery that would double the electric mileage of your off-the-assembly-line model?  The potential of such Plug-in Hybrid Electric (PHEV) technology to make a major dent in the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in Toronto – transportation – is behind a pilot project being supported by TAF.  Using technology developed by Ontario-based Hymotion and batteries from Massachusetts based A123Systems, the Toronto Plug-in Hybrid Vehicle Pilot Project  will test 10 retrofitted hybrids piloted in a number of different fleet applications by City of Toronto staff and drivers from the Universities of Toronto and York, Toronto Hydro, Autoshare, and Bullfrog Power among others.  The goal is to gauge the roadworthiness of PHEV technology under real driving conditions, especially during Toronto winters. Based on the province’s current electricity mix, these PHEV vehicles are estimated to have greenhouse gas emissions that are 40-60 percent less than those from a conventional hybrid vehicle.  The project got off to a great start with a packed media debut of a retrofitted Honda Civic at Nathan Phillips Square on May 24, 2007 where Mayor Miller noted that "By boosting the all-electric range of hybrid vehicles, this technology has the potential to help us address one of the largest climate and air-quality impacts in the city."

The Toronto Plug-in Hybrid Vehicle Pilot Project is a special project of TAF being undertaken in partnership with Hymotion, A123Systems, and a consortium of Toronto-based fleet managers.

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The C40 meeting in New York in May 2007 showed that action on climate change has reached a tipping point in cities around the globe.  The three-day summit of the world’s largest metropolises showcased a variety of effective actions, from hybrid taxis in New York and Rotterdam’s Portlands power generation system to Toronto’s world-class landfill methane-to-electricity projects.  Hosted by New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and chaired by London Mayor Ken Livingstone, the meeting of climate leaders demonstrated the value of practical local action in maintaining healthy, liveable cities.  In fact, Livingstone called Toronto “a leading light for the rest of the world,” while  Mayor Miller co-chaired the opening plenary and drew attention to Toronto's actions throughout the full event. The conference ended on a high note with an announcement of a new $5 billion building finance program sponsored by the Clinton Climate Initiative and a consortium of major international banks for financing building energy retrofits 

More info: www.C40cities.org

After a busy spring round of public consultations, the City is putting the finishing touches on its climate action plan.  Change is in the Air sets ambitious targets for Toronto to reduce locally generated smog pollutants by 20 percent by 2012 and greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent by 2050.  On June 18th, the Parks and Environment Committee will hold a special meeting to hear public presentations about the plan. The first phase of a proposed Climate Change and Clean Air Action Plan will then be presented to the City’s Executive Committee on June 25th.  A key element of the plan is a commitment to track city-wide emissions. TAF helped lay the groundwork for this important monitoring work through the Greenhouse Gas and Air Emissions Inventory and Analysis Project, developed in partnership with the Toronto Environment Office, and with funding support from the Federation of Canadian Municipalities. Click here to download a copy of the report (Acrobat format).

For further information about the City’s Climate Change Action Plan and to provide comments online, visit www.toronto.ca/changeisintheair

TAF’s web site doesn’t have video or audio downloads or “social networking,” but it does have lots of good information on TAF’s programs and partners.  But it is time for a virtual facelift and we'd like your input on how we can improve our site.  Please take just a few minutes to fill out TAF’s online survey about the site to help us create a really useful -- and maybe even a bit more entertaining -- online presence.  Click here to complete the survey right now.