By law the province is required to reduce emissions 80 per cent from 2007 levels by 2050. What steps should the province be taking to ensure that target is met? Are you satisfied with measures that have been implemented so far to address climate change?
The BC Greens have a more ambitious plan! We’d like BC to be carbon neutral by 2045, and have a plan with checkpoints scheduled in 2025 and 2030 to make sure we get there. This plan involves many things, but here are some highlights:
- Ending subsidies to the oil and gas industry, using that money to fund the transition into clean energy.
- Speeding up the zero emission vehicle (ZEV) mandate, requiring BC government fleets to be ZEV by 2030, and new vehicle sales to be 100% ZEV by 2035.
- Making ZEV ownership easier, by cutting the PST on ZEV purchases, and making charging stations available everywhere across the province, including in rural areas and multi-family housing.
- Restarting the carbon tax schedule with regular increases. We’ll work with industry to make sure they’re doing their part.
- Making sure that energy sector workers will see a just transition, with jobs guaranteed for them in the Green Economy.
I am not satisfied with the steps that have been taken so far. Under the NDP we have seen a nearly doubling of fossil fuel subsidies and little else. We can and must do better.
In our last term we were able to work with the Green party to implement CleanBC which is the most ambitious climate action plan in North America. I am proud of the collaborative approach we have taken on such an important issue and if elected we will ramp up measures targeted at reducing emissions including expanding our zero emission vehicle program to get more industrial and heavy duty vehicles off of fossil fuels and provide additional funding for our industrial emissions strategy so that more mines, pulp mills, oil and gas processing plants, and other industrial facilities can reduce harmful emissions and move to cleaner operations.
We will also remove the PST on ebikes and create a new income-tested incentive on new and used zero-emission vehicles to get more people into the electric vehicle rebate program, regardless of their income.
Lastly, CleanBC currently sets a target of reducing emissions by 40 percent by 2030 and to complete this task we will pass legislation requiring B.C. to reach net-zero by 2050 – meaning there are either no harmful carbon emissions or they are offset by natural carbon sinks, carbon capture or other technologies
Candidates responses to this question have been added in the order received. Go to the Election Questions list to see questions that have been submitted to the Forum.
Leave a Reply