A renewed provincial council will advise government and track progress on CleanBC initiatives to reduce pollution and create new opportunities for people around the province.
Members of the Climate Solutions Council were announced by George Heyman, Minister of Environment and Climate Change Strategy, at GLOBE 2020 – a sustainable business and innovation summit focused on climate action.
“As part of our commitment to action and accountability on climate change, this new group of independent advisors will strengthen our CleanBC plan to build a cleaner future and improve peoples’ lives here in B.C.,” Heyman said. “Their extensive experience and perspectives will help us expand and improve on the significant actions taking place through CleanBC, while supporting B.C. businesses as they reduce their carbon footprint and keeping daily life more affordable for the rest of us.”
The independent council will continue the advisory role of the previous council, which completed its mandate at the end of 2019. The new members represent environmental organizations, businesses (including large industry), Indigenous peoples, local governments, academics, youth, unions and people living in rural and remote communities. The council will play an important role by advising the Province on further actions to reduce carbon pollution, while ensuring that B.C. industry remains competitive. It will provide public comment every year on progress.
“As British Columbians, we have an incredible opportunity ahead of us as the world moves towards a clean economy and begins to address climate change,” said Colleen Giroux-Schmidt, co-chair of the new Climate Solutions Council and vice-president of corporate relations for Innergex Renewable Energy Inc. “I look forward to working with my new council colleagues to help build on the success of CleanBC and monitor progress as the plan develops over time.”
In addition, the government released its 2019 Climate Change Accountability Report for CleanBC, which details a range of actions over the past year to reduce emissions and build a cleaner economy.
Results show a range of positive trends, including record-setting sales of electric vehicles, increases in transit ridership, improvements in energy efficiency and emission intensity, reduced emissions from large industry and lower methane emissions from the natural gas sector. The report provides detailed emission forecasts and breakdowns by sector to help guide future improvements and track progress.
“B.C. has come back as a global climate leader. And while we still have work to do, the Province has laid down the right foundations,” said Merran Smith, co-chair of the Climate Solutions Council, and executive director of Clean Energy Canada. “We’re already seeing the benefits, from surging electric car sales to real accountability measures, to a thriving clean energy sector that’s putting B.C. on the clean energy map. As co-chair of this new council, I’m excited to build on that progress.”
CleanBC is the Province's pathway to a more prosperous, balanced and sustainable future. It was developed in collaboration with the BC Green Party caucus and supports the commitment in the Confidence and Supply Agreement to implement climate action to meet B.C.’s emission targets.