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About 50x30 Waterloo Region

50x30WR was a grassroots, community-led campaign that in 2020-2021 brought together hundreds of residents to advocate for Waterloo Region municipalities to commit to a 50% reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2030 to address climate change. The campaign was successful in having all 7 area municipalities and the Region of Waterloo commit to work towards this near-term target. In fact, the skilled organizing that made this happen inspired other related campaigns to follow - and led to a public case study seen here through the Tamarack Institute in Canada exploring how this was accomplished.

This campaign built on the public commitments made by regional municipalities in 2019 when they each declared a public climate emergency, recognizing the existential risks posed by climate change globally and here in Waterloo Region. This emergency is already impacting on public health and wellbeing and demands our shared urgency and attention. 50x30WR aimed to empower residents and elected representatives alike to build towards a more socially just, sustainable and climate-smart Waterloo Region together. While the campaign is now over, the commitments made by elected councils in our region remain - and it is up to all of us to ensure accountability to bold and informed actions aligned with those commitments.

Now is the time for ambition to protect our shared futures, and to build a more sustainable Waterloo Region!

In 2021 - following significant mobilizing, delegations and citizen pressure - the Region of Waterloo and its 7 area municipalities all endorsed the TransformWR Climate Action Strategy and set an interim GHG reduction target of 50% by 2030. This was a big accomplishment, particularly as prior to the campaign no local municipality had a 2030 emissions reduction target at all. Achieving these commitments - even if in principle - wouldn't have happened without skilled grassroots citizen organizing and pressure.

Thank you to everyone who supported this work that helped our region to set this ambitious target, and pass the TransformWR Strategy. Moving forwards, many people unfortunately still remain unaware of these commitments - and with time running out, there is a clear need to educate each other and work together again to ensure bold, informed action is taken.

Connecting 50x30 to Global Climate Efforts

The 50x30 commitment is still being championed by campaigns and various non-state actors worldwide, particularly aligned with the 'Race to Zero' initiative by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) which can be found here. The aim of this cooperative initiative is to support actors (including cities, regions, finance, educational, and healthcare institutions) to take "rigorous and immediate action to collectively halve emissions by 2030 and reach Net Zero by 2050 at the latest". This initiative by the UNFCCC aims to align with commitments under the Paris Climate Agreement to limiting global warming, and is aligned with clear imperatives of climate science, social justice and wellbeing.

For all our safety and wellbeing, emissions must be rapidly cut to prevent further catastrophic climate change impacts, life on earth, and future generations. For more details about 50x30, see our page here.

We acknowledge that 50x30WR is working on the traditional territories of the Haudenosaunee, Anishinawbe and Neutral Peoples. We recognize the deep intersections between climate justice and Indigenous rights and justice, with a commitment to doing our part to ensure Indigenous sovereignty and leadership is centred in the fight for a safe climate future.