WHEREAS most local governments in B.C. have signed on to the Provinces Climate Action Charter committing to be carbon neutral in their operations by 2012; AND WHEREAS the provincial Climate Action Secretariat has advised that carbon sequestered by trees in a local governments urban forest and park lands is not eligible to be counted as offsetting carbon output under the Climate Action Charter: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Province of BC instruct the provincial Climate Action Secretariat to change their position regarding acceptance of carbon sequestered by trees owned by a local government as an accepted offset of carbon produced.
Ministry of Community, Sport Cultural Development The joint Provincial-UBCM Green Communities Committee GCC has worked with local governments to develop a practical, flexible and credible approach to carbon neutrality that enables municipalities and regional districts to partially or wholly reduce their carbon liability by investing in measurable emission reduction projects outside of their corporate boundaries. Under the carbon neutral framework, local governments can select from a list of emission reduction projects for which GCC has developed simplified formulas to assist in the calculation of greenhouse gas emission reductions. Local governments may also invest in other measurable emission reduction projects outside of the corporate boundary, including carbon sequestration, subject to the GCCs seven project eligibility criteria and third party validation and verification of the project. Additional information on the carbon neutral framework and the emission reduction project options are described in the Becoming Carbon Neutral guidance document, available online at www.toolkit.bc.ca The GCC is continuing to work with local governments to look for opportunities to develop new simplified project formulas under the carbon neutral local government framework, including those for forest carbon sequestration. Local governments with significant forestry projects may also wish to consider the Government of British Columbias Forest Carbon Offset Protocol FCOP, which is used to guide the design, development, quantification and verification of BC forest carbon offsets from a broad range of forest activities on private and public land in BC.