New bill mandates annual reports on B.C.'s climate pollution reduction
Credit to Author: Rob Shaw| Date: Wed, 30 Oct 2019 22:05:52 +0000
VICTORIA — B.C. could soon produce annual reports on how much it is spending to fight climate change, and whether that money is reducing greenhouse gas emissions, under legislation introduced on Wednesday.
Environment Minister George Heyman said the legislation, if passed, would “strengthen B.C.’s ability to respond to the challenges of climate change and implement our CleanBC commitments, to strengthen government accountability for taking action.”
He said the amendments would include setting interim greenhouse gas emission targets and sector-specific targets with a goal of keeping B.C. on track to meet its 2030 greenhouse gas reduction targets, said Heyman.
Those interim sector-specific targets will be set after discussions involving those in the sector, Indigenous peoples and the public, according to a news release from Heyman’s ministry. The legislation also calls for an independent advisory panel to advise the minister.
Green Leader Andrew Weaver praised the legislation, which is part of the confidence and supply agreement between the Greens and NDP that allows the NDP to govern. Green support means the bill has the votes to pass the house.
“As a climate scientist, I know that transparent, accurate, timely, and publicly accessible data is crucial to achieving our climate commitments,” Weaver said in a news release. “‘Trust us’ is not good climate policy. The amendments included in this act add real credibility to our province’s efforts.”
The NDP government’s CleanBC climate change plan lays out a target of a 40 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from 2007 levels by 2030, 60 per cent by 2040 and 80 per cent by 2050.
The annual reports will be tabled in the legislature.
There is currently a two-year delay in B.C.’s public reports on greenhouse gas emissions.
The most recent data, released in September, was from 2017. It showed B.C.’s progress in reducing emissions over the past decade has been virtually wiped out by large increases in carbon pollution.
B.C.’s pollution levels reached almost 64.5 million tonnes of carbon-dioxide equivalent in 2017, an increase of 1.2 per cent from 2016, mainly due to the then-booming residential construction sector, agriculture, manufacturing and transportation.
Carbon pollution is back up to the 2007 level of 64.8 million tonnes. B.C.’s greenhouse gas emissions have now increased in five of the last seven years.