The Metropolis of Toulouse unveils its plan to (better) reduce its carbon emissions
“We must accelerate on our environmental ambitions“. Jean-Luc Moudenc announced it in January, during a public event, on the occasion of a mid-term review of the Territorial Climate-Air-Energy Plan (PCAET) of the Metropolis of Toulouse. The conclusion of the mayor of Toulouse and president of the Metropolis could not be different in the face of the figures communicated.
Of the five indicators in this document, two posed a problem in this assessment. First of all, the reduction in carbon emissions had been set at -40% compared to its 2008 level. Without new measures, the drop point was estimated at only -9%. The same is true for the energy consumption indicator, for which the target was -30% in 2030 compared to its 2014 level. The trend was -4% by 2030. Conversely, the production indicator of renewable energies on the territory was in the green for Toulouse Métropole thanks to multiple projects.
“The difficulty for us is the evolution of the population. We are an agglomeration which holds and these objectives must be made on the scale of the territory and without taking into account the demographic evolution. Brought back to the habitat, the The figures are much better. We are at -28% carbon emissions per capita against a target of -53% in 2030”, confides Jean-Luc Moudenc.
Faced with these figures, the elected official presented, Monday, October 17, to a small handful of journalists a deliberation which will be voted on at the next metropolitan council, Thursday, October 20. This will consist of 61 new measures and 23 amplified actions that already exist.
The mayor of Toulouse calls for the mobilization of companies
Among them, it is interesting to highlight the establishment of a “scientific council of nature in the city“, to pay”increased integration of biodiversity issues into public policies“. On this subject, the mayor of Toulouse is closing the door to a permanent revegetation of the Place du Capitole, in particular for technical reasons, in favor of a temporary solution to cool the place between June and August. In addition, the community will launch a study to assess the impact of its budget on the climate.
As far as structural measures are concerned, the services of Toulouse Métropole have launched mapping work to assess the potential for de-impermeabilization on the territory, i.e. removing tar when possible for better recovery of water from rain, thus feeding groundwater and inevitably reducing soil temperature. This method has already been implemented on the site of the former exhibition center in Toulouse, on the Ile du Ramier. Similar mapping work is currently planned to accommodate photovoltaic canopies on public buildings. Public lighting in the City of Toulouse should be 100% LED by the end of the current mandate, compared to two-thirds today.
On the transport side, Toulouse Métropole will launch a study on the deployment of clean fuel refueling stations. This system already exists in the Tarn department. The community also promises 600 charging points for electric mobility, by the end of 2023 on the metropolitan territory, against a hundred currently. In this logic, the services are working on the development of a metropolitan goods movement plan to promote last-mile delivery with clean vehicles. At the same time, river freight will be developed in metropolitan France.
Finally, Toulouse Métropole intends to adopt a hydrogen plan to develop the use of this energy on the territory. It also intends to put on the table an endowment fund of 10 million euros to support the municipalities in projects carried out in favor of the reduction of GHG emissions. Arbitrations still have to be made to define a certain priority in the supported projects.
“Thanks to these new actions, we will achieve a -25% reduction in our carbon emissions in 2030. The delta of 15 points is in the hands of individuals and companies in their behavior, the change in certain practices, etc.”, launches Jean-Luc Moudenc, as a call for mobilization.
A carbon offset fund for companies
For individuals, Toulouse Métropole will set up an “Air Bois fund”, the amount of which has not yet been specified. But this will take the form of subsidies to help individuals financially, equipped with fireplaces or old wood-burning heaters, to acquire recent, energy-efficient heating appliances. The community also announced a few months earlier the expansion of its “Vélo Toulouse” rental service, with the supply of electric bicycles for half of the fleet and a service soon available to the municipalities bordering Toulouse.
As far as companies are concerned, the community is asking companies, for example equipped with large car parks, to take up the subject of photovoltaic carports, as Thales has already done. Financial aid has also been put in place for the renewal of the vehicle fleet, in favor of electric cars in particular. Finally, a company carbon offset fund will be created. “The objective is to offer companies the option of proportionally offsetting their residual GHG emissions by financing projects that contribute to the reduction or storage of carbon emissions and thermal comfort.“, specifies Toulouse Métropole.