Government of Canada Provides Funding For Communities' Efforts To Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions In the Transportation Sector

The Government of Canada announced a significant new investment in a series of community-level actions aimed at reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the transportation sector.

Through the Public Education and Outreach component of the Climate Change Action Fund (CCAF), the Government of Canada will contribute a total of $1.27 million to projects in 21 communities from Halifax to Victoria.

The public outreach projects being funded through this announcement include promotion of a "Car Free Day," anti-idling campaigns, a revised and updated version of the "Clean Air Consumer Guide," workplace-based trip reduction programs, and initiatives aimed at increasing the use of carpools and reducing single-occupant vehicle trips.

A list of all projects receiving funding is available at www.climatechange.gc.ca.

OECD announces Report on "Environmentally Sustainable Buildings"

Organization for Economic Co-operation & Development(OECD) announces a Report on "Environmentally Sustainable Buildings", which assessed impacts of the building sector on the natural and built environment. It was intended to help policy makers in OECD countries to improve environmental policies for the building sector.

The Report provides information on reduction of CO2 emissions, prevention of indoor air pollution and minimization of construction and demolition wastes, which were selected as priorities for the project.

According to the report, the building sector accounts for around 25~40% of final energy consumption in OECD countries, which is about 34% of total CO2 emissions. Also, indoor air levels of many pollutants may be 2.5 times, and occasionally more than 100 times higher than outdoor levels, which can significantly affect human health.

The Report suggests several policy instrument options for environmentally sustainable buildings, which includes mandatory standards for building design, capital subsidy programs, energy audit programs, landfill tax, and environment labelling schemes.