Environment

We are driven by our purpose to serve our community and the economy that supports it. As we work to deliver on our purpose, we are looking ahead with a heightened sense of responsibility to reduce the impact of our operations on the environment and take a leadership role in shaping a greener and more resilient future. 

Our operations are carbon neutral as of 2020 and will be net zero by 2030. We will also continue our work to divert waste from the landfill, improve ecosystem health and reduce our water consumption. 

And, while we do not have direct control over emissions and other environmental impacts from outside of our operations—those of our partners and the airport community—we recognize that we must also support all partners in reducing their overall impact as well.

Our 2020 – 2024 Environmental Management Plan (EMP), developed every five years, outlines the initiatives that will allow us to achieve our climate goals and to support the work of our partners. Specifically, it sets clear, measurable activities and targets in four key areas: 

• Carbon reduction
• Water conservation 
• Waste reduction 
• Ecosystem health

We think of our EMP as a journey—one that guides our actions and provides opportunity for us to engage with our employees, passengers and our airport community to adapt to the evolving changes of the global pandemic and align our collective initiatives to our ambitious net-zero emissions goal. 
We know that achieving our climate goals requires innovative thinking and solutions-oriented actions. Above all, it requires teamwork. We invite you to join us on our journey.

Accountability

There are inherent safety, security and environmental risks involved in operating an international airport. To effectively manage and mitigate these risks, YVR maintains robust policies, procedures and management systems aligned with our regulatory obligations. We also monitor, record and report on our environmental performance in many ways. We measure particulate matter in our air, record the content of YVR’s recycling and use the data to make sure we're hitting our sustainability goals. We are accountable through our community involvement, our Aeronautical Noise Management Committee and our Environmental Advisory Committee.