Nature-positive motion could transform city

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 29/03/2023 (978 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

ON March 23, a historic motion was walked onto the floor of city council which, if passed, could significantly transform this city. Introduced by Daniel Mac Coun. Cindy Gilroy and seconded by St Vital Coun. Brian Mayes, the motion asks that Winnipeg sign on to the Montreal Pledge for Cities United in Action for Biodiversity.

Launched during COP 15, the Montreal Pledge asks cities to commit to 15 actions that will help halt and reverse biodiversity loss.

Why is that important?

The reason is simple. Biodiversity loss is the third-most severe threat humanity will face over the next decade. In starker terms, it means that one million animal species are now at risk of extinction, owing to environmental degradation, habitat loss and climate change.

Cities are one of the main drivers of those losses, whether measured in terms of carbon emissions, downstream pollution or the outright destruction of habitat. Which isn’t just bad for urban wildlife. It’s also very bad news for the humans who inhabit those cities.

Habitat loss doesn’t just impact animals. The loss of green space, forested areas and wetlands within city boundaries also means the loss of much-loved areas for human activity, from hiking and canoeing to nature watching.

More importantly, the continued loss of habitat and green space also means a reduction in a city’s capacity to deal with extreme weather events owing to climate change. Destroying wetlands increases the threat of flooding, while the loss of trees and intact forests translates into higher city temperatures and increased air pollution.

Protecting and expanding these green and blue spaces, along with equitable access, are key elements of the pledge, but it doesn’t stop there.

Pledge cities are also urged to incorporate Indigenous knowledge into planning and adopt nature-based solutions to increase climate resiliency — everything from green roofs and urban agriculture to constructed wetlands and hybrid sewage-treatment plants.

As an added bonus, all these actions are predicted to have a huge financial payoff. The World Economic Forum estimates that worldwide, a nature-positive approach to urban infrastructure and built environments could generate 170 million jobs and create more than $3 trillion in business opportunities.

Simultaneously, central banking and insurance interests warn that failing to address climate change and biodiversity loss will ultimately cost far more.

In fact, it’s already costing us. Here in Winnipeg, we’re losing an average of 6,000 public trees every year. Add to that a staggeringly low 38 per cent greenness score from Statistics Canada, and Winnipeg ranks near the bottom of Canadian cities in terms of green space.

Each year more greenness is lost.

Just look at the land where the St. Mary’s interchange is being built. Once a forest of some 4,000 trees interspersed with patches of wetland, in 2022 it was transformed into a treeless wasteland where even the topsoil seed bank was stripped away. The wildlife that lived there — whether coyotes, birds or amphibians — has either disappeared or moved on.

The good news is the city is already moving to restore a portion of what’s been lost, and protect what we still have, with its new Greenspace Master Plan and Biodiversity Policy. The city even has a plan to dedicate an additional 1,000 city acres to greenspace. That, combined with new urban forestry and parks strategies, is cause for real optimism.

Based on those actions, it’s not a stretch to imagine council signing the pledge.

But why should the city sign on if efforts to meet the pledge’s 15 goals are already underway?

It’s a good question with a relatively simple answer.

Signing the pledge signals to the public and the nation that our city council is deadly serious about following through on its environmental policies and that a nature-positive approach to city planning has finally taken hold in hearts and minds of the mayor and councillors.

It also affords Winnipeg an opportunity to learn from other cities that are already ahead of us in efforts to protect urban biodiversity and enhance climate resiliency.

Eleven other Canadian cities have already signed the pledge, so huge kudos to councillors Gilroy and Mayes for introducing this motion. Let’s hope the mayor and council approve it, so we can begin the work of transforming Winnipeg into a greener, healthier, more climate-resilient city.

And you, dear readers, can help make that happen. Just call or email the mayor and your councillor to let them know that you strongly support the motion to make Winnipeg the 12th Canadian signatory of the Montreal Pledge.

Erna Buffie is a writer and science filmmaker. If you want Winnipeg to sign the Montreal Pledge, join the email campaign at: treespleasewinnipeg.com.