TransLink’s Climate Action Plan

On Wednesday November 30^th I was one of a number of people invited to a virtual meeting at which TransLink revealed its Climate Action Plan.

The meeting began with an inspiring and motivating speech by TransLink CEO Kevin Quinn. He was firing on all cylinders. He clearly gets it.

Mr. Quinn stressed TransLink’s commitment to be carbon-neutral by 2050, his passion for making TransLink as resilient and responsive as possible, and his understanding and appreciation of the emergency that faces us all.

I can say with absolute certainly, having listened to him speak, that TransLink has a CEO who will inspire the organization to reduce the region’s carbon footprint as quickly as humanly possible.

TransLink’s Climate Action Plan builds on the Climate Action Strategy the company adopted in January 2022.

The Climate Action Strategy articulates seven key strategies under three pillars, developed with the overall goal of achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, with an interim reduction of 45% from 2010 emission levels by 2030. These pillars and strategies are:

• Reduce:
  • Implement Low Carbon Fleet Strategy
  • Develop Net Zero Facilities Strategy
• Adapt
  • Develop Climate Change Adaption and Resiliency Roadmap
  • Support a More Climate-Resilient Region and Low-Carbon Economy
• Advance
  • Develop and Implement Supporting Climate Policies, Plans and Processes
  • Enhance Climate Education and Communication
  • Secure Funding for Net Zero and Climate Resilience

The Climate Action Plan sets specific short-term actions TransLink will take over the next three years to achieve their long-term targets. These actions include:

• Expanding the battery-electric bus fleet from four to 155 by late 2025 and installing new charging infrastructure to support.
• Designing and constructing the new Marpole Transit Centre by 2027 to serve 350 battery-electric buses.
• Renovating the Hamilton, Port Coquitlam, and Burnaby transit centres to charge and store battery-electric buses.
• Developing risk responses, design guidelines, and new programs to make transit infrastructure more resilient to climate impacts.

At 35 per cent, transportation is the largest single source of greenhouse gasses in our region, which underlines the importance of TransLink’s plans to tackle the climate crisis. TransLink has already taken major steps to improve that situation.

Recognized for a number of years as one of Canada’s Greenest Employers, TransLink has the second-largest trolley-electric bus fleet in North America. The 100 km SkyTrain network is totally electrified. And they have 15 new battery-electric buses now arriving, which will fully electrify Route 100 in Vancouver in 2023.

Shortly after Mr. Quinn (Kevin as I know him) began his work as TransLink CEO, I met with him and welcomed him with the gift of a book – The Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson, which I discussed in detail in my October 5, 2021 Blog. It is by far the most powerful, educational, and thought-provoking novel I’ve ever read – a climate fiction story, set in the near future, which is full of nuggets of fact and lessons about global warming.

TransLink’s future is our future.

 

Daily atmospheric CO₂ [Courtesy of CO2.Earth]

Latest daily total (Nov 28, 2022): 417.31ppm

One year ago (Dec 3, 2021): 416.12ppm