We are thankful to be welcome on these lands in friendship. The lands we are situated on are covered by the Williams Treaties and are the traditional territory of the Mississaugas, a branch of the greater Anishinaabeg Nation, including Algonquin, Ojibway, Odawa and Pottawatomi. These lands remain home to many Indigenous nations and peoples.

We acknowledge this land out of respect for the Indigenous nations who have cared for Turtle Island, also called North America, from before the arrival of settler peoples until this day. Most importantly, we acknowledge that the history of these lands has been tainted by poor treatment and a lack of friendship with the First Nations who call them home.

This history is something we are all affected by because we are all treaty people in Canada. We all have a shared history to reflect on, and each of us is affected by this history in different ways. Our past defines our present, but if we move forward as friends and allies, then it does not have to define our future.

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Sustainability cost curves

Climate change, biodiversity loss and nitrogen cycles in the world's largest cities are already believed to be beyond sustainable boundaries¹. As these cities continue to grow in both size and population, our planetary limits will be severely threatened. In a study currently underway at UOIT, researchers are examining the need to adhere to planetary physical limits and reduce environmental degradation through socio-economic targets.

The marginal abatement cost (MAC) curve presented in Figure 1 demonstrates a set of available options for a long-term and comprehensive program which addresses emissions reduction opportunities across several sectors, including power, industry, waste, buildings, transport, agriculture and forestry.

GHG Curve

Figure 1: Marginal Abatement Cost Curve - Global Greenhouse Gas Emission Reduction²

The researchers conducting this study have created sustainability cost curves for energy, transportation and connectivity, as well as basic service provision (water and sanitation) and present model cost curves for the transportation sectors of five of the world’s largest cities: Toronto, Sao Paulo, Shanghai, Mumbai and Dakar.

[1] Johan Rockstrom, Will Steffen, Kevin Noone, Asa Persson, F. Stuart Chapin, Eric F. Lambin, Timothy M. Lenton, Marten Scheffer, Carl Folke, Hans Joachim Schellnhuber, Bjorn Nykvist, Cynthia A. de Wit, Terry Hughes, Sander van der Leeuw, Henning Rodhe, Sverker Sorlin, Peter K. Snyder, Robert Costanza, Uno Svedin, Malin Falkenmark, Louise Karlberg, Robert W. Corell, Victoria J. Fabry, James Hansen, Brian Walker, Diana Liverman, Katherine Richardson, Paul Crutzen, and Jonathan A. Foley, 2009, "A Safe Operating Space for Humanity," Nature, 461, pp. 472-475.

[2] McKinsey & Company, 2010, Impact of the Financial Crisis on Carbon Economics, http://www.mckinsey.com/client_service/sustainability/latest_thinking/greenhouse_gas_abatement_cost_curves.

Please note this is a draft version. For development purposes only.