In early 2022, the BC government sought input on its Draft Offset Protocol Policy ("Draft OPP"), which outlines the government's proposed plans for oversight of new market-based projects aimed at reducing and removing greenhouse gas emissions from the atmosphere. This submission by West Coast Environmental Law lays out our concerns about the Draft OPP and the lack of meaningful criteria included in the policy for developing and reviewing carbon offsets in BC.
The OPP is supposed to provide the structure for developing future Offset Protocols, but other than setting a series of steps, it fails to provide meaningful direction on what the content of future protocols should be or what role those protocols (and the offsets under them) should play in achieving emissions reductions and avoiding environmental harm.