BC Seeks Comments on Its Faltering CleanBC Climate Plan

The B.C. government has launched its promised review of CleanBC, the province’s “road map” for reducing carbon emissions, and it is asking the public to weigh in by the end of this month.

The review comes as the province acknowledges it won’t meet the plan’s emissions reduction targets for 2025 and 2030.

The review is the result of the governing BC NDP’s agreement with the BC Green Party following the fall election. The agreement includes a promise to “initiate and complete a review of CleanBC in 2025,” one year ahead of schedule.

“The province is failing to meet its 2030 climate goals,” Green Party interim leader Jeremy Valeriote said in a statement this week. “We want to ensure that key voices, especially those who are steeped in knowledge on climate science and climate action, are included in this review.”

Valeriote said the Greens are proud to have won the review as part of their agreement with government and they’re “demanding that it be done well.” CleanBC was launched in 2018.

The independent review is aimed at soliciting feedback on B.C. programs and policies that are meant to cut emissions and help the province meet its climate targets. It will also identify areas for improvement, according to statements from both the Greens and the government.

A final report is expected later this fall.

That report is expected to assess how well CleanBC is working, what improvements could be made and how its programs affect “people, communities and the economy,” according to a statement released by the Ministry of Energy and Climate Solutions this week.

According to its terms of reference, the review will “examine, evaluate and update” current climate targets and recommend policies, programs and initiatives to “achieve significant emissions reductions in the province to meet these updated targets.”

Members of the public have until Aug. 1 to fill out an online survey.

The province is also soliciting written statements, up to a maximum of 2,500 words, from interested parties like industry professionals, labour representatives, environmental organizations and climate experts until July 18.

Indigenous rights holders and local governments have until Aug. 1 to provide written statements.

The B.C. government has committed to incrementally reducing carbon emissions from 2007 levels. By 2050, it aims to reduce its carbon footprint by 80 per cent.

Current targets call for a 16 per cent reduction by this year and 40 per cent reduction by 2030. The province recently acknowledged it’s unlikely to achieve those goals.

‘Not on track,’ says energy minister

Energy and Climate Solutions Minister Adrian Dix acknowledged earlier this year that B.C. is unlikely to hit its “near-term” climate goals in the coming years.

A climate change accountability report released in April found that B.C. won’t meet its 2025 emissions reduction target and that emissions are instead set to spike due to the expansion of the gas and transportation industries in the province.

Dix told reporters at the time that the province now estimates it will miss its emissions reduction target for this year and fall far short of its promised reductions for 2030.

“We are not on track to meet our near-term 2030 goals,” Dix said in April.

Rather than the 16 per cent reduction B.C. originally planned to achieve this year, the latest climate accountability report projects that emissions will be just 2.6 per cent below 2007 levels.

It projects a 20 per cent reduction by 2030 — half the 40 per cent reduction originally planned by the province.

The CleanBC review also comes as B.C. greenlights LNG expansion and passes controversial legislation meant to expedite industry in the province.

That’s reflected in the province’s 2025 budget, which showed a dramatic rise in revenue from the gas and mining industries — but little new spending on environmental or climate programs.

When The Tyee asked in March whether the province was still on track to meet its climate goals, the Finance Ministry said the targets would be under consideration as part of the CleanBC review.

Shortly after, B.C. Premier David Eby announced the province would end the consumer carbon tax, a major revenue source for the CleanBC program.

Asked at that time how the province would fill the funding gap, Eby said the province would be “restructuring significant parts of the CleanBC program.”

The CleanBC review intends to make recommendations related to emissions reduction targets by industrial sector, review progress on climate policies and examine funding for climate programs, according to the terms of reference.

A final report will be submitted to government by Oct. 15 before being released to the public within 45 days.