Climate Implementation Plan
The Plan
Climate change poses significant risks for our city and communities, including severe heat, smoke and wildfires, flooding, and extreme weather events. The Council-approved Calgary Climate Strategy: Pathways to 2050 sets Calgary's long-term climate vision, goals and targets. It guides how The City responds to climate change and reduces climate-related risks.
The 2023-2026 Climate Implementation Plan shows the climate actions, programs and projects funded during the 2023-2026 budget cycle. These actions support Council and corporate priorities, and we report progress toward our goals regularly throughout the budget cycle.
Read the full plan (PDF)Focus areas
Progress towards Calgary's climate goals are supported through eight key areas of action. The Plan identifies the priority actions to be delivered in each area between 2023 and 2026.
City Design and Development
Waste and Consumption
Buildings and Homes
Water
Energy
Nature and Ecology
Mobility
People
Tracking climate investments
Over the past four years, The City has tracked primary climate investments funded through one-time operating and capital budgets. Primary climate investments are actions where there was a clear primary outcome aligned with The City’s climate goals. Collectively, these primary climate investments are referred to as the climate-related budget.
The City tracks the annual climate-related budget, changes made during annual budget adjustments, funding sources and spending.
How has climate funding changed over the past four years?
Budgets can change from year to year for many reasons. Through the Annual Budget Adjustments process, Administration may:
- Request new funding
- Move funding to future years
- Carry forward funding into the next year
- Relinquish funding no longer needed
Council members may also propose increases or decreases to budgets through this process.
The chart shows the total four-year capital and one-time operating budgets for primary climate investments included in the 2023-2026 Service Plans and Budgets. It also reflects budget increases and decreases resulting from the Annual Budget Adjustments approved each November.
What climate investments are delivering
2023-2026 Climate-related budgets
Climate-related capital budget
Total: $162 million as of June 1, 2026
The City’s capital budget pays for big projects that help deliver key services to Calgarians. It’s used to build new facilities and infrastructure, upgrade old ones and keep everything in good shape as our city grows.
| Area funded | Budget | Amount spent |
|---|---|---|
| Area funded: Mobility assets | Budget: $80 million | Amount spent: $41 million |
| Area funded: City built infrastructure | Budget: $42 million | Amount spent: $22 million |
| Area funded: Natural assets | Budget: $28 million | Amount spent: $25 million |
| Area funded: Energy generation | Budget: $11 million | Amount spent: $9 million |
| Area funded: Governance and reporting systems | Budget: $1 million | Amount spent: $1 million |
Climate-related one-time operating budget
Total: $34 million as of June 1, 2026
This City’s operating budget pays for the costs of running the programs and services Calgarians rely on. We use the operating budget to cover things like salaries, programs, maintenance, utilities and other day-to-day expenses. The City’s one-time operating budget is for programs and services that are shorter term and are active during a single budget cycle. In some cases, these programs and services are moved into the ongoing operating budget and continued for the long-term.
| Area funded | Budget | Amount spent |
|---|---|---|
| Area funded: Buildings and homes | Budget: $15 million | Amount spent: $8 million |
| Area funded: Partnership and innovation funding | Budget: $13 million | Amount spent: $11 million |
| Area funded: Community risk, vulnerability and affordability programs | Budget: $4 million | Amount spent: $3 million |
| Area funded: Training, education and outreach programs | Budget: $1 million | Amount spent: $1 million |
| Area funded: Mobility programs | Budget: $0.6 million | Amount spent: $0.4 million |
Do other levels of government offer grants for climate-related projects?
Across 29 projects:
- Federal Government Investment: $276 million
- City Investment: $215 million
- Provincial Government Investment: $23 million
The City often receives funding from other levels of government to help support climate-related projects. Some City funding for the project is often required to get more funding from the other levels of government.
What are the sources of funding?
The City uses multiple sources of funding to support the projects and services it provides to Calgarians. The chart below outlines the different funding sources and amounts that make up the 2026 climate-related capital and one-time operating budgets (as of June 1, 2026).
Sources of funding for 2026 climate-related budget as of June 1, 2026
Staying transparent
To provide ongoing accountability and transparency, we provide regular updates so Calgarians can see how climate funds are being used and what progress is being made.
Climate Progress Reports
The Climate Progress Reports share updates on climate-related projects, programs and initiatives. They also show how this work helps maintain services for Calgarians.
Climate-related Financial Disclosure
The climate-related Financial Disclosure is included in The City's Annual Financial Report. This reporting follows international financial reporting standards and supports transparency, effective governance, and accountability.
Climate and Environment Dashboard
The dashboard is updated regularly and tracks climate indicators, performance measures and risks using data and metrics.
The Climate and Environment Dashboard is planned to be expanded in 2027-2030 to include tracking of climate-related budgets and expenditures, supporting an additional level of data-driven decision making and transparency.
Looking ahead
We are using what we learned from the past four years to help plan for the 2027-2030 budget cycle.
We continue to improve how we:
- Define climate-related spending
- Track climate-related budgets, grants, and other funding sources
- Share information with Calgarians
Frequently asked questions
What is the Climate Implementation Plan?
The Climate Implementation Plan shows the actions, programs and investments The City is delivering between 2023 and 2026. These actions help lower greenhouse gas emissions, reduce climate-related risks and support Calgary's long-term climate goals. The Plan turns the Calgary Climate Strategy into action.
How is the Climate Implementation Plan different from the Climate Strategy?
The Calgary Climate Strategy sets Calgary's long-term climate goals through 2050. The Climate Implementation Plan is a four-year plan that identifies the projects, programs and actions being delivered during the current budget cycle.
Why does Calgary need a Climate Implementation Plan?
Climate change creates risks for infrastructure, services, public safety, water resources and the local economy. The Plan helps The City focus on actions that reduce risk, improve resilience and support reliable services.
How is progress measured and reported?
The City reports progress through various methods including the Climate Progress Report, the Climate Related Financial Disclosure, and the Climate and Environment Dashboard. These resources share information about actions, indicators and outcomes so Calgarians can track progress over time.
How does this work benefit Calgarians?
Climate action can help:
- Reduce long-term costs
- Improve public infrastructure
- Support resilience and high-quality City services
- Encourage new ideas and innovation
- Help communities prepare for extreme weather, flooding and drought