Climate Action Announcement Definitely Not Leadership
Media Statement – August 19, 2016
Climate Action Announcement Definitely Not Leadership
For immediate release
Victoria B.C. – Andrew Weaver, MLA for Oak Bay – Gordon Head and leader of the B.C. Green Party calls the B.C. Government Climate Action announcement disappointing and lacking leadership.
“Not only has the Clark government dismantled many of the existing climate policies, but they are also ignoring key recommendations from their own expert panel on what needs to happen for B.C. to once again become a climate leader.
“For the past few years it has become painfully clear that the B.C. Liberals have chosen to forgo any leadership on this file, instead choosing to chase the LNG pipedream.
“As we go into another year with temperature records again being smashed across the world and in B.C., this government is content to fiddle and play games with carbon accounting. Without increasing the carbon levy there is no hope that British Columbia will meet its GHG reduction targets.
“For fifteenth consecutive month in a row, July 2016 emerged as the warmest month since measurements have been collected. Average global temperatures for the year-to-date period January-July 2016 shattered the previous record set in 2015. The government’s plan doesn’t demonstrate leadership. It demonstrates complacency and a wilful disregard of the urgency of dealing with climate change.
“British Columbia has an opportunity to become a leader in this world, establishing a 21st century economy built on innovation and clean technology. This goal cannot be realized with the current administration’s directionless approach to governance.
– 30 –
Backgrounder – Changes since Christy Clark became Premier
Under Premier Gordon Campbell, British Columbia emerged as an international leader in climate policy. But since Christy Clark has taken over at the helm, we’ve move from being a leader to becoming a laggard. The legacy of Premier Clark’s so-called climate leadership to date is as follows:
- The Clean Energy Act was amended to exclude emissions for liquefaction in LNG industry;
- The Pacific Carbon Trust was shut down;
- Carbon tax increase were halted;
- Cap and Trade enabling legislation (designed to bring big point source emitters in with California) has been repealed;
- We have a new Greenhouse Gas Industrial Reporting and Control Act that introduces an “emissions intensity” framework that is more about supporting an LNG industry than limiting emissions;
- The LiveSmart BC program has essentially shut down;
- Emissions have gone up year after year;
- We will not reach our legislated 2020 GHG reduction target.
Media contact
Mat Wright – Press Secretary, Andrew Weaver MLA
1 250 216 3382
mat.wright@leg.bc.ca
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7 Comments
good work, Dr. Weaver….we are lifetime horticultural producers in the Peace River region who look forward to supporting a green candidate in the peace river region, where we desperately need a paradigm shift away from the conservative entrenchment of the failed energy sector, failed at every level, especially site c, where we stand to lose, in fact HAVE LOST over 50% of the only irrigable horticultural landbase in the entire region, our precious river valley alluvial floodplains, which will be critical for the long term food security of the entire province. thanks for any attention you can give to this, both past and future. We were the only ones at the site c hearings who seemed to understand the value of the irrigable floodplain soils. all other soil types in the region CANNOT be irrigated for intensive horticultural production, for what could be a huge multimillion dollar industry that is sustainable for the long term, and essential for our long term existence and the ability of the region to support larger populations!
We have an excellent potential candidate who I believe will inspire people in the region to come out to vote.
http://americablog.com/2014/04/perp-greatest-mass-extinction-earth-identified-methane.html
http://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2015-whats-warming-the-world/
https://robertscribbler.com/ — This one very current, 30% artic ice gone in one 955 mb storm/cyclone and 2 more forcast in arctic as of Aug 20 2016
andrew how about some positivity? we have a chance to speak up this week
It’s hard to be positive when you spent the better part of your life working in a field. You have a premier (Gordon Campbell) who rose to the challenge. Then you have a Premier (Christy Clark) who repeals much of the good work that was done and then puts in place a shameful excuse for a climate plan. She then has the audacity to claim this is leadership.
Christy Clark has defined her legacy as being the premier that threw future generations under a bus.
Christy Clark has done more damage to clean energy policies and Public Education than any premier in the history of British Columbia government!
I completely agree