Montreal creates committee to curb climate change, reduce carbon footprint

A new consultation committee has been created as part of the City of Montreal’s ongoing efforts to curb climate change and reduce its carbon footprint.

New partners are joining the fight, announced Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante, including the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec and Montreal Public Health.

READ MORE: World’s biggest container shipping company aims to be carbon neutral by 2050

In December 2018, Montreal launched an innovative climate plan to help make the city greener, partnering with prominent groups like the David Suzuki Foundation to achieve its objectives.

The new climate consultation committee’s goal is to get Montrealers on board with the city’s green plan, Plante says.

“Our desire to move forward with a very strong and ambitious plan on how to make Montreal more resilient is getting stronger,” she explained.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "Our desire to move forward with a very strong and ambitious plan on how to make Montreal more resilient is getting stronger," she explained.

The committee’s role will be to advise the mayor and her team on ways to be more effectively eco-friendly while getting people on board to make changes in their own lives.

Get daily National news

Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day.

Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up

By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.

READ MORE: Most provinces non-committal on Ottawa’s revenue-neutral carbon plan

“We feel that, often, the population feels a bit lost about what they can do, and they feel anxiety about how they can have a stronger impact,” Plante noted.

“Even though people want to have drastic change so we can save our planet and be more resilient, at the same time, when it affects your day-to-day habits and lifestyle, it hurts, and people may not agree with that.”

WATCH: Carbon neutral British town setting the standard for clean energy use

2:47 Carbon neutral British town setting the standard for clean energy use

Plante said one of the ways the city was hoping to reduce its ecological footprint is by investing in electrification.

READ MORE: Here’s what a world of net-zero carbon emissions looks like

“We need to make those changes if we really want to save the planet or there’s no chance so how do we move forward?” she asked.

“We want to find sustainable solutions to move away from fossil fuels.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "We want to find sustainable solutions to move away from fossil fuels."

The mayor insisted it’s up to city officials to be proactive and have a positive attitude when it comes to moving forward with saving the planet.

WATCH: Will provinces make the new carbon tax revenue neutral?

2:33 Will provinces make the new carbon tax revenue neutral?