the government will use revenue from the carbon tax to create incentives for the oil and gas sector to move away from fossil fuels and transition to renewable hydro-electricity to power their plants.
nearly three-quarters of the energy used across the b.c. economy still comes from fossil fuels, and the clean b.c. plan aims to change that.
the long-awaited climate action plan was unveiled wednesday, dec. 5, by premier john horgan, green party leader andrew weaver, environment minister george heyman and energy minister michelle mungall at a press conference in vancouver.
the province is also speeding up the switch to cleaner fuels at the gas pump, by increasing the production of renewable transportation fuels.
in the spring, the ndp government introduced new targets to slash carbon pollution, with the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 40 per cent over the next 12 years and by 60 per cent by 2040 and 80 per cent by 2050. the targets are based on 2007 emissions levels.
the plan, if successful, will take the province 75 per cent of the way it meeting the 2030 target. the remaining 25 per cent, heyman said, will be identified through initiatives rolled out over the next 18 to 24 months.
"the plan we're today is a detailed path to meet the targets that we legislated last spring," heyman said.
emissions in b.c. have risen in four of the last five years, heyman said, levels which he said are unsustainable.
"we're seeing and living the effects of climate change," heyman said, pointing to extreme weather such as droughts, flooding and two back-to-back wildfire seasons that have been the worst in b.c.'s history.
"these are all threats to our security, our economy and our health," heyman said.
"i'm very proud today to announced cleanbc, a plan that will lower greenhouse gas emissions, reduce climate pollution as we move our province and our economy to a low carbon future where there will be more jobs and more opportunity for all british columbians," horgan said wednesday.
horgan gave credit to former premier gordon campbell, who in 2008, introduced the carbon tax, the first in north america.
in november, horgan and weaver announced that all new light-duty cars and trucks sold in b.c. must be zero-emission by 2040. the proposed legislation, to be introduced in the spring, will set sales targets for zero-emission vehicles, such as those fuelled by electricity or hydrogen.
the government also committed to spending $57 million on an incentive program that offers up to $5,000 to people who buy or lease an electric or hybrid-electric vehicle.
the sector that emits the most greenhouse gases is transportation, at 37 per cent of emissions, followed by oil and gas at 22 per cent and residential and commercial buildings at 12 per cent, according to the national energy board.
b.c.'s emissions per capita are one of the lowest in canada, at 12.8 tonnes of co2e, which is 36 per cent below the national average of 20.1 tonnes per capita, national energy board figures show.
david austin, an energy lawyer at stirling llp who has worked closely with the clean energy association of b.c., said he's long been advocating for the electrification of the province's oil and gas industry, which would require b.c hydro to add new transmission lines to get enough energy to the gas fields.
currently, the dawson creek-chetwynd transmission line delivers electricity to some natural gas producers in the area but it is already fully subscribed. a second line, the peace region electricity supply project, is currently under construction.
"our provincial government is finally getting serious about greenhouse gas reduction," austin said. "i'm baffled as to why it didn't start sooner."
b.c. liberal environment critic peter milobar said the ndp's climate change plan "continues to take british columbia down a path first started by the b.c. liberals."
"on the surface it appears to be an update to our 2015 plan but with no specifics. the devil's in the details and they won't show us the details until next year's budget. it makes you question why it took the ndp and greens a year to come up with a plan that is so similar to the one we originally designed," milobar said. "given that this plan continues to strive to meet our original dates and targets, the initiatives announced today are largely to be expected, and in the context of a climate change plan, would be considered the more straightforward elements.
environmental groups hailed the plan as a "major step forward" in the battle against climate change.
but they expressed concern that the plan won't cut greenhouse gas emissions fast enough in light of the government's continuing efforts to expand the liquefied natural gas industry.
"while we believe this plan should be celebrated today and implemented starting tomorrow, it's worth noting that we could more easily get to 100 per cent without lng in the mix," caitlyn vernon, sierra club b.c.'s campaigns director, said in a news release.
"it's counter-productive to act to reduce carbon pollution on the one hand, while on the other hand expanding fossil fuel extraction."
"this would all be far easier had the government not subsidized lng exports in the first place," peter mccartney, a climate campaigner with the wilderness committee, said in a release.
"while they seem to have made initial plans fit, the math hasn't changed and that means lng cannot move forward."
mccartney praised the plan for requiring government to report on pollution cuts every year and creates an advisory council to provide oversight.
"those accountability measures are key because they will prevent governments from ignoring the consequences of their actions and create a path to emissions targets that actually align with the science," he said.
karen tam wu, b.c. director of the pembina institute, said the "bold plan" promises to put b.c. back on track to achieving its climate goals.
"british columbians can take pride in the fact that the cleanbc strategy contains several policies that are far ahead of the curve in canada and north america," she said in a release.
in 2015, b.c. emitted more than 63 million tonnes of greenhouse gases, about five per cent less than in 2007, according to data released by to renewable cities, global program of the simon fraser university morris j. wosk centre for dialogue in vancouver.
the program said to meet its 2030 target, b.c. must cut greenhouse gases by about 26.5 million tonnes.
renewable cities executive director alex boston said in a statement that local governments play a major role in reducing greenhouse gases, specifically in transportation, buildings and waste.
"local governments have influence over half of british columbia's greenhouse gases," said boston, who has served over 20 local governments in developing energy and emissions plans. "municipalities are necessary partners in delivering a cleanbc plan that benefits all british columbians."
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