It's been almost four-and-a-half years since city council unanimously agreed to reduce the community's greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) to net-zero by 2050.
Since then, local GHG emissions haven't dropped.
In fact, Emily Cormier, the city's sustainability coordinator, says the most recent data suggests we've actually been discharging more GHGs.
"In 2022, community-wide GHG emissions were estimated at 1,547,088 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO₂e), representing a three per cent increase from 2017 levels," Cormier says in a sustainability and emissions update prepared for Monday's city council meeting.
Greenhouse gases are things like water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and ozone, that trap heat and cause the Earth's temperature to rise.
"The energy sector continues to dominate local emissions, accounting for 87 per cent of the total, followed by transportation at 12 per cent and waste at one per cent.
"Emissions from energy use and transportation increased slightly by three per cent and six per cent, respectively. These increasing figures highlight the importance of targeted interventions in high-emitting sectors to support the city’s net-zero-by-2050 emissions reduction target," Cormier says.
And she predicts it's going to get a lot worse if we don't get more serious about GHGs.
"Total community emissions ... are projected to rise to 1,763,680 tCO2e (or 14 per cent) based on an average annual population growth rate of 0.7 per cent (as of 2017) by the year 2037 if no serious action is taken."
"Industrial emissions are the highest sector of emissions in Sault Ste. Marie based on their consumption of natural gas."
"The second largest source of emissions is from on-road transportation. High energy use from natural gas in the industrial sector coupled with a lower population result in higher per-capita emissions," she said.
Cormier tracks GHGs from both city-owned sources and the broader community.
Corporate emissions - those directly under the city’s operational control - account for just one per cent of the community's total emissions.
Corporate emissions totalled 10,862 tCO₂e in 2023, representing a five per cent increase from 2017, with only a 0.05 per cent overall increase.
Cormier's report to city council describes numerous sustainability initiatives launched by the city to reduce its own GHG emissions, including LED retrofits, ice plant recommissioning and the acquisition of electric ice resurfacers.
Monday's city council meeting will be livestreamed on SooToday starting at 5 p.m.