FAQs

Climate change is causing average global temperatures to rise, and Canada is heating up twice as fast.  

As a result of climate change, in our region and in Surrey we are already experiencing impacts including hotter summers, more frequent flooding from more intense rainstorms, coastal erosion from rising sea levels, and poor air quality from wildfires. We’re also seeing some food prices increase due to effects like droughts and floods in other parts of the world that affect supplies. Changes in ocean currents and temperatures, and hotter water in fish-bearing streams, put our beloved salmon at risk. These impacts affect our health, our economy, our society, and our environment.      

These and other impacts are expected to get worse over the coming decades; but we can limit the impacts, and the costs, by reducing the carbon pollution that’s driving climate change. While there are costs in transitioning to a zero-carbon economy, they are far lower than the costs of dealing with the consequences of an over-heating planet.  

Surrey’s risks to climate change are outlined in the Climate Adaptation Strategy, completed in 2013. We are in the process of updating this strategy and incorporating adaptation in the new Climate Change Action Strategy.  

Learn More 

• NASA – Vital Signs of the Planet – global climate trends 
• Government of Canada – Canada’s Changing Climate Report (2019) 
• Province of BC – Preliminary Strategic Climate Risk Assessment (2019) 
• Metro Vancouver – Climate Change in Metro Vancouver – Climate 2050 
• Fraser Health and Vancouver Coastal Health – Climate Vulnerability Index - Mapping Exposure, Sensitivity, and Adaptive Capacity to Four Health-Related Climate Hazards 
• City of Surrey – Climate Adaptation Strategy (2013) 
• City of Surrey – Urban Heat Ready – assessing the risks and exploring ways to reduce urban heat impacts in Surrey City Centre.   

There have been changes in the climate in the past, but today it’s being caused by a build-up of heat-trapping gases in the atmosphere due to human activities. These gases are called greenhouse gases (GHGs), or, more simply, “carbon pollution”, and include carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), and nitrogen dioxide (NO2).  

Most of this carbon pollution (about 77 per cent) comes from burning fossil fuels like coal, oil, natural gas, gasoline, diesel, and airplane fuel. We burn these fuels in factories, to heat buildings, for transportation and other vehicles, and for making electricity – although renewable electricity is growing quickly and BC’s electricity is already mostly renewable. About 23 per cent of global carbon pollution also comes from agriculture, forestry, and “land use change” – removing forests and other ecosystems to make way for farming, and building roads and cities. These activities release carbon that was being stored in plant matter and soils.  

The concentration of carbon pollution in the atmosphere is higher now than at any time in the past 800,000 years. The last time it was this high was 3 million years ago. As a result of this carbon pollution, the Earth’s temperature is rising, and the climate is being destabilized.     

Sources and Learn More:  

• NASA – engaging and easy to understand explanations and videos about the causes and effects of climate change
• Bloomberg – interactive chart showing the effect of natural and human influences on global temperature  
• Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) – technical reports and science (the IPCC is the United Nations body for assessing the science related to climate change)   
• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration – article about carbon dioxide emissions and why it matters

Most of our carbon pollution comes from passenger vehicles and buildings.

Every year, we emit 2.3 million tonnes of carbon pollution from the following sources. Burning gasoline in passenger vehicles, and burning natural gas to heat our buildings, is responsible for the large majority of this pollution.

• On-road transportation 46%
• Buildings 40%
• Non-road equipment 10%
• Waste 2.5%
• Rail 1%
• Industry 0.5%

Taking action to reduce carbon pollution and prepare for climate impacts in Surrey can improve our health, reduce our risk, and deliver social and economic benefits.

For example:

Improved health and safety: 

• Healthier air quality from fewer vehicles on the roads, and from switching to non-polluting electric vehicles and heating systems.
• Reduced deaths and serious injuries on our roads, and improved personal health, as we make it easier and safer for people to walk and cycle.
• More social connections as we make our neighbourhoods more vibrant, with a mix of housing types, shops and cafés, and inclusive, outdoor places to gather.
• Reduced risk of heat illness with more trees and greenspace, and more efficient buildings designed to prevent over-heating.
• Improved indoor air quality, and reduced risk of childhood asthma, as we switch to electric induction cookstoves.

Economic development:

• Surrey can be an ideal growth hub for the green building industry, including services, and manufacturing of equipment and building materials.
• As we build more vibrant, compact communities that are walkable and connected by frequent transit, the City can become a more attractive place for small businesses to set up shop, and for large companies to attract world-class talent.

Infrastructure cost savings: 

• Planning most growth in areas that already have services and infrastructure in place can avoid the need for clearing new areas for growth, saving taxpayers on servicing costs, and protecting our ecosystems.
• Protecting natural assets and using “green infrastructure” can reduce the cost of building and upgrading engineered infrastructure like drainage pipes.

Lower household expenses:

• Reduced energy costs, with more efficient buildings.
• Reduced transportation costs - less need to own a car as we build more homes near frequent transit and other amenities, and invest in safe walking and cycling routes.
• Reduced retrofit costs for home and building owners, and less disruption for tenants, as buildings are constructed to a higher standard of quality, comfort and efficiency, and with low-carbon heating.

Read More: 

• World Resources Institute (2018) – The New Climate Economy, unlocking the inclusive growth story of the 21^st century
• Vancouver Economic Commission (2019) - Green Buildings Market Research – jobs and economic value of the green building industry in Metro Vancouver from 2019 to 2032
• City of Surrey – Urban Heat Ready – assessing the risks and exploring ways to reduce urban heat impacts in Surrey City Centre
• UBC – Where Matters – a study assessing the health and economic benefits of walkable, complete communities
• Environmental Defense Canada (2013) – The High Cost of Sprawl – why building more sustainable communities will save us time and money

The Climate Change Action Strategy is connected to several other city strategies, including the Surrey Transportation Plan now in progress, the Official Community Plan, and the Biodiversity Conservation Strategy. Staff are working across departments to embed climate action in our decision making and policies, to make sure we will meet our targets. 

The City’s existing Community Energy and Emissions Plan (2013), Climate Adaptation Strategy (2013), and Corporate Emissions Action Plan (2010) will be incorporated in the updated Climate Change Action Strategy.