Climate Emergency Declaration

Whereas in 2018, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change IPCC released a Special Report stating that emissions must decline by 45 from 2010 levels by 2030 and reach net zero by 2050 in order to avoid severe climate change impacts; And whereas the World Health organization has declared climate change to be the number one health emergency of our time; And whereas local governments and cities are globally taking the lead on climate action, with more than 90 cities in the USA committing to 100 renewable energy by 2050, 15 cities in Canada committing to 100 renewable energy by 2050, and 20 cities committing to 80-100 GHG emissions reduction by 2050, and are calling on senior levels of government for a more urgent, emergency response: Therefore be it resolved that the Province of British Columbia and Canadian Federal Government take similar actions and make similar investments regarding the climate change crisis as they would in response to other crises, including, but not limited to: diverting subsidies from fossil fuel companies, or matching those investments to fund adaption for municipalities; the creation and expansion of carbon sequestration technology; the mandating of such technology for all polluters; just transition career training, particularly for low income workers, those employed in fossil fuel dependent sectors, and Indigenous Communities where desired by those communities; rapid expansion of transit infrastructure; and clean energy retrofitting for all existing residential and institutional building, particularly for the most vulnerable in our society.