The current state of municipal climate action plans in effecting positive social justice outcomes in Canada

Abstract Climate change is disproportionately impacting marginalised communities and exacerbating social injustices in Canada. Municipal Climate Action Plans (CAPs) are beginning to look at the challenges of the climate crisis and social injustices by incorporating language related to decolonisation, equity, diversity, and inclusion (DEDI) in their recommended actions. However, how DEDI is incorporated into CAPs remains underexplored. Therefore, this review evaluates the CAPs of 20 cities in Canada for the ways in which DEDI concerns are incorporated in their plans by using a framework that assesses the plans’ development processes, collaboration with stakeholders, ownership of actions, and evaluation methods. Our analysis finds that, in general, Canadian municipal CAPs do not go far enough in addressing social injustices. The results indicate that there is an opportunity for Canadian cities to revise their existing CAPs to address the identified gaps during the implementation process in ways that maximise positive and just social outcomes.