Foundation praises B.C. global warming plan

By: David Suzuki Foundation


VANCOUVER – The B.C. government’s plan to address global warming, released June 26, demonstrates continued leadership on this crucial issue, according to the David Suzuki Foundation.

“This is one of the most comprehensive climate action plans in Canada,” said Ian Bruce, a climate change specialist with the David Suzuki Foundation. “It shows a strong commitment to reduce global warming and provides a model for the federal government and other provinces to follow.”

The plan uses economic modelling to gauge the potential of the measures to reduce harmful emissions but acknowledges that more action is required to meet B.C.’s goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by a third by 2020.

The strengths of the plan include: It is the first significant carbon tax in North America to put a price on carbon emissions and increase the price over time; it follows California’s fuel-efficiency standards for vehicles; and it includes a commitment to cap and reduce industrial greenhouse gas emissions within the Western Climate Initiative, a regional effort with several provinces and U.S. states.

“B.C.’s climate action plan is good, but it still contains inconsistencies that must be addressed,” said Mr. Bruce. Because some of the measures to reduce emissions are based on government commitments yet to be implemented, the David Suzuki Foundation recommends the following:

• Move forward with regulations to cap and reduce industrial greenhouse gas emission by early 2009 in accordance with the B.C. target of at least a 33 percent reduction below 2007 levels by 2020.

• Increase investment in public transit with more predictable and stable funding. This can be achieved by redirecting provincial spending from general-purpose highway lanes to vital transit infrastructure. Government studies show that B.C.’s Gateway plan will increase emissions, not reduce them.

• Phase out subsidies to the oil and gas industry. These subsidies reduce the incentive for this sector to reduce the environmental costs of polluting activities.

• Strengthen the B.C. energy-efficiency code for residential buildings to require EnerGuide 80 performance for new construction and renovations.

• Protect B.C.’s natural carbon storehouses, such as old-growth forests, peatlands, grasslands, and wetlands, which absorb and store billions of tonnes of carbon. Protecting B.C.’s natural areas would also increase ecological resiliency and opportunities for wildlife and ecosystems to adapt to global warming.

• Develop and implement other measures required to achieve or surpass B.C.’s emissions reduction goals.

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For more information, contact:

Ian Bruce, Climate Change Specialist, (604) 306-5095

source: David Suzuki Foundation