Vancouver. Andrew Gage, Staff Counsel and head of the Climate Change program at the West Coast Environmental Law Association, commented on the BC Government announcement today that the province will be developing a new Climate Action Plan 2.0:
“We applaud the government’s plans to develop a new Climate Action Plan 2.0, building on the Province’s past leadership in tackling climate change. British Columbians know first-hand the types of damage caused by climate change – from the Mountain Pine Beetle epidemic, to flooding, to the threat of rising sea levels.”
“However, it will be essential that Climate Action Plan 2.0 lays out a roadmap for how BC will achieve the aggressive reductions in greenhouse gas emissions that scientists warn are necessary. If the new plan is not ambitious, BC will not meet its legislated greenhouse gas targets.”
“Past experience leads to some cause for concern: after a review in 2014 the provincial government froze the carbon tax at $30/tonne and failed to expand the tax to currently excluded activities. Instead of leading, the government indicated that it would consider increasing the carbon tax only ‘when other jurisdictions … introduce similar … carbon pricing’.”
“An expansion and increase of BC’s ground-breaking carbon tax must be a key part of Climate Action Plan 2.0. Ontario has just announced its plans to join Quebec and California in pricing carbon, while similar initiatives are being pursued by the governments of Washington and Oregon. BC needs to build on its climate leadership by increasing the carbon tax.”
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For more information contact:
Andrew Gage, Staff Counsel, West Coast Environmental Law Association, 250 412 9784
OR
Anjali Appadurai, Communications Specialist, West Coast Environmental Law Association, 604 328 6443