WHEREAS a lack of funding has made it increasingly difficult for local governments to meet targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions GHGs; AND WHEREAS provincial and federal governments appear to be withdrawing from their commitment to reduce CO2 and CH4 emissions on a national scale: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that UBCM request that provincial and federal governments renew their commitment to meeting GHG reduction targets; AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that renewed funding be provided to local governments to ensure that climate action plans and projects continue to be implemented.
Ministry of Community, Sport Cultural Development The Province acknowledges the significant role that BC local governments play in helping to reduce province-wide GHG emissions and recognizes the continued leadership and commitment of BC local governments in taking action on climate change. To maximize opportunities to reduce GHG emissions, the Province has passed significant climate action related legislation since 2007, including: - The Carbon Tax Act that puts a price on greenhouse gas emissions providing an incentive for sustainable choices that produce fewer emissions. - The Greenhouse Gas Reduction Targets Act, requiring the provincial government and schools, colleges, universities, health authorities and Crown Corporations to become carbon neutral and setting provincial GHG reduction targets of 33 percent below 2007 levels by 2020 and 80 percent below 2007 levels by 2050. - The Greenhouse Gas Reduction Vehicle Emissions Standards Act, to enable the adoption of vehicle emission standards to increase automobile efficiency. Note that this Act was not brought into force, as the federal government implemented similar, national level legislation. - The Greenhouse Gas Reduction Emissions Standards Statutes Amendment Act focuses on reducing greenhouse gas emissions from certain industrial operations such as waste management operations and the regulation of landfill gas. The Act also enables regulation that requires thermal electricity generated emissions to be offset and all coal-based electricity emissions to be stored or sequestered. - The Greenhouse Gas Reduction Renewable and Low Carbon Fuel Requirements Act, to encourage the development of renewable forms of energy and decrease the carbon content of fuels. - The Local Governments Green Communities Statutes Amendment Act, to require local governments to establish GHG reduction targets, policies and actions and encourage the development of complete, compact and energy efficient communities. The renewed Federal Gas Tax Fund has been made permanent in federal legislation and will result in approximately 2.7 billion dollars flowing to BC local governments over the next 10 years for infrastructure and capacity building. In addition, the New Building Canada Fund will result in approximately 1.09 billion in funding to support provincial, regional and local infrastructure projects over the next 10 years. Under both programs, projects are encouraged to consider the impacts of climate change and seek innovative solutions and promote sustainable development. The Climate Action Revenue Incentive Program CARIP, a conditional grant program, is also available to local governments that have signed onto the BC Climate Action Charter. Since 2008 the Program has provided 19 million to support BC local governments in taking action on climate change. The Province continues to work with federal and local governments to ensure the right mix of tools, incentives and other supports are in place to assist local governments in achieving their climate action targets and goals.
Minister of the Environment Our government takes the challenges of climate change seriously. Domestically, we are implementing a sector-by-sector regulatory approach to reduce emissions. We have already taken action on two of this countrys largest sources of emissionsthe transportation and the electricity generation sectors. Our government has also announced next steps for the development of regulations for hydrofluorocarbons, the fastest growing greenhouse gases in the world and can be thousands of times more potent than carbon dioxide. Our governments regulatory approach is complemented by investments of more than 10 billion that will help reduce greenhouse gas emissions over the longer term. These measures include support for green infrastructure, energy efficiency, clean energy technologies, and the production of cleaner energy and fossil fuels. Our government has also taken action to phase out inefficient fossil fuel subsidies such as tax preferences for oil sands producers and eliminating certain tax preferences for mining sectors, including coal.