Repositioning British Columbia once more as a leader in climate solutions & the new economy
Today in the legislature the Minister of the Environment introduced important legislation that represents a critical first step in putting British Columbia back on track as a leader in climate solutions & the new economy.
The bill, entitled Greenhouse Gas Reduction Targets Amendment Act, 2018, commits British Columbia to reducing greenhouse gas emissions to 40% below 2007 levels by 2030 and 60% below 2007 levels by 2040. It further requires the government to release a report every two years that provides:
- a determination of the risks to BC that could reasonably be expected to result from a changing climate,
- the progress that has been made toward reducing those risks,
- the actions that have been taken to achieve that progress, and
- the plans to continue that progress.
Why this is an important first step is that these new targets send a signal to the market that British Columbia is once more serious about reducing greenhouse gas emissions. In addition, it gives a very clear goal to the civil service who will be tasked with putting together a wedge analysis that will allow us to meet the new targets.
The opportunities for innovation in the transition to the low carbon economy are limitless and British Columbia stands to reap the economic benefits associated with this transition in the years ahead.
Below I reproduce the government new release that was issued when the bill was tabled in the legislature.
Government News Release
New bill updates targets for reducing carbon pollution
The Government of British Columbia has introduced legislation to update the Province’s greenhouse gas reduction targets, setting the stage for a renewed climate action strategy to be released in the fall.
The Climate Change Accountability Act replaces the 2007 Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Reduction Targets Act. It sets new legislated targets of a 40% reduction in carbon emissions from 2007 levels by 2030, and a 60% reduction from 2007 levels by 2040. The current target of an 80% reduction in emissions by 2050 remains. The legislation will provide a framework to develop detailed climate-change adaptation reports. The Province will work with the broader public sector on these requirements. The legislation also enables the minister to set sectoral GHG emission reduction targets.
“The act is the foundation for a credible and achievable climate action strategy in B.C.,” said George Heyman, Minister of Environment and Climate Change Strategy. “The previous government, after stalling on sustained climate action for several years, admitted they could not meet their 2020 target, and those targets are repealed in this act.
“We aim to remove barriers, and make it attractive and affordable for people, communities and industry to move to lower-carbon alternatives. At the same time, we will grow an economy that’s stronger, cleaner, more diverse and more resilient.”
Climate action is an important component of the Confidence and Supply Agreement with the B.C. Green Party caucus.
“This legislation is another step forward towards making B.C. a leader in climate action once again,” said Andrew Weaver, leader of the B.C. Green Party. “This is a huge opportunity to build a thriving 21st-century economy centred around innovation. I look forward to working in partnership with the government to implement a plan to reclaim this leadership, and keep our commitment to younger generations.”
The Province’s climate action strategy will be released in autumn 2018. Actions to reduce the provincial GHG emissions will include establishing sectoral plans for buildings and communities, industry and transportation sectors.
Latest Posts
Recent Comments
- on The Paris Agreement is in trouble: UNFCCC needs to ratchet up their climate efforts
- on The Paris Agreement is in trouble: UNFCCC needs to ratchet up their climate efforts
- on How can BC’s environmental organizations be more effective?
- on How can BC’s environmental organizations be more effective?
- on How can BC’s environmental organizations be more effective?
4 Comments
Thank you Andrew for your leadership and the hope that the Green Party inspires!
I would love to see more green industry investments in the headlines, instead of feeling the need to fight yesterday’s energy solutions with the energy we should be pouring into solutions of the future! While I know there is progress in green energy solutions, the scale is still minuscule compared to pipelines, fracking & Site C! I would like to suggest that until the tide turns, more resources are poured into communication, education & sharing ideas. People shift at an emotional level before they buy into the logic of a thing. We have treated the arts as if they were a frill, a ‘nice to have, but not essential’. I would argue that creativity, imagination & cultural development are ESSENTIAL especially during times of such rapid change. It’s no coincidence that the far right wing started to shift the political landscape when they focused their efforts on culture. Once they had struck a powerful emotional chord, they no longer needed logic. Steve Bannon refers to this as ‘culture wars’. My background is in Community Cultural Development – and I have to admit, it freaked me out to see how much more insight the far right had into cultural development, compared to those within the liberal, centrist landscape. I still think culture & the role of the arts are largely ignored within the liberal progressive circles when we look for solutions.
Growing up in South Africa during apartheid, I witnessed first hand the role of the arts, music & dance in shifting the culture. It was an essential part of what made social transformation possible, because it hit people at an emotional level. It fostered a sense of identity & belonging and as a consequence gave people hope and motivation to build something new out of the ashes of an old paradigm.
So to conclude, I believe we need to counter the big, powerful, ‘logical’ voices of pipelines & those in climate denial/profit at all costs, with an amplification of what is possible. We need to loudly celebrate our victories & how they fit into a sustainable ‘one planet’ vision. We need to help build up people’s confidence so that they connect emotionally to the vision that all life is interconnected (and therefore cannot be dismissed or discarded as unimportant), interdependent & sacred. If we don’t prioritize the cultural shift along with more effective communication, I’m not sure that we will move fast enough to address the dangers we face.
Great news. Now we need convirion from NDP.
Just a thought.. can we get an amendment to not just ck progress n update policy every 2yrs, but also include a two yr target of reduction.
Re “BC 2yr Ave ghg emissions will be less than previous 2yr ave starting (say) this fall.”
U feel this is just as important as the long term target may be more as one we get rolling policies in place to meet this criteria then the momentum turns in right direction.
getting deep cut will then involve ramping up these policies. It also gives us room to see how practical some r verse others etc etc.
First steps r important.
Government incentives for solar and other renewable solutions have to be generous and easy to get without burdensome paperwork and hoops to jump through. The days of passing out a few dollars for low flush toilets and new lightbulbs are not enough. Your average homeowner as well as business owner needs to be given access to substantial grants for installing energy efficient technologies, especially solar panels and solar vacuum tubes for heating water etc. Great news! We are looking forward to seeing this all happen. “There is no plan B! There is no planet B.”
Things may work if, First, you plug all the holes. Both physical and legislatively. Remove dependance on hydro power, specifically the Site C dam. Change the Clean Energy laws that force out wind power companies. Dite C is poised to power LNG which in turn will dilute Alberta BITUMEN.
There are hundreds of abandoned well sites, mining sites, illegal dams flooding vegitation causing untold amounts of methane gas to hit our air.
Plug all the holes. No escape! Include methane released from all the dump sites everywhere too. Millardville burned off methane for years. I haven’t been there to look and see if it is still going?
Plug all the holes. Cutting down forests unnecessarily reduces our carbon sink. Burning what can’t be sold pollutes. Leaving it to rot pollutes too. Live and let the trees help us to live too.
Find and plug all the holes. Then you have a base to work from.