In many ways, there is emerging consensus around the targets we need to achieve to avoid the catastrophes associated with global warming. Similarly, there is increasing clarity at the international level around the major global cooperation required to prevent irreversible damage to our ecosystems, biodiversity, and climate. At the local level however, though there is significant energy for action, there is not yet consensus around the pathways and policies required to catalyze the transformation.

With funding from the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) and as part of a broader initiative to develop a 30-year greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction strategy, ClimateActionWR took a backcasting approach to better understanding and articulating community-level pathways for climate action.

Unless designed and facilitated five futures workshops across the Region of Waterloo—engaging stakeholders from a variety of sectors including a youth-focused workshop.

Participants engaged with provocative trends and drivers of change and leveraged diverse future scenarios to illuminate the programs, policies and shifts required to reach a future whereby the region had reduced its GHG emissions by 80% over 2010 levels.

The workshops were a significant contribution to the development of TransformWR Waterloo Region’s Transition to an Equitable, Prosperous, Resilient Low Carbon Community. Perspectives from the community—in combination with simultaneously occurring community engagement—helped bring into focus facets of the future beyond the GHG reduction target. Furthermore, the workshops helped shed light on key transformation areas that became central pillars of the 30-year strategy.

In June 2021, all eight area municipalities approved TransformWR. The approval sets the stage for the region to become a leader in the fight against climate change.