Attachment 4: Current Federal, Provincial and Regional Climate Action Plans
Summary of current climate action targets from the Federal (Pan-Canadian Framework), Provincial (CleanBC), and Regional (CRD) levels.
Attachment 4. Current Federal, Provincial and Regional Climate Action Plans
a. Federal
Canada was one of 195 countries that signed the United Nations Paris Agreement in 2015 to “limit the global temperature increase in this century to less than 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, while pursuing means to limit the increase to 1.5 degrees". There are no prescribed methods or requirements.
The 2017 Pan-Canadian Framework on Clean Growth and Climate Change is the federal plan to address climate change. The target is a 30 percent reduction below 2005 levels of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2030. It allows the provinces and territories the flexibility to design their own policies and programs to meet the targets. These would be supported by federal investments in infrastructure, specific emission-reduction opportunities, and clean technologies.
The plan has been accepted by all provinces and territories except Saskatchewan. The four main pillars are:
- carbon pollution pricing
- complementary actions to reduce emissions
- adaptation and resilience
- clean technology, innovation, and jobs
b. Provincial
The goal of the Province’s 2018 “CleanBC” plan is to achieve the legislated climate targets of reducing GHG emissions by 40% by the year 2030, based on 2007 levels. Longer term targets based on based on 2007 levels are reductions of 60 percent by 2040, and 80 per cent by 2050. The Province’s stated priorities include:
- “reducing climate pollution by shifting homes, vehicles, industry and business off burning fossil fuels and toward greater use of clean B.C. electricity and other renewable energies;
- boosting energy-efficient solutions, like zero-emission vehicles and home heat pumps, by making them more affordable and available for British Columbians; and
- becoming a destination for new investment and industry looking to meet the growing global demand for low-carbon products, services and pollution-reducing technologies.”
c. Regional
The Capital Regional District’s 2017 “Regional Climate Action Strategy” is intended to support community-focused climate mitigation and adaptation action over the next five years. It sets a regional target to reduce GHGe by 61% by 2038, from 2007 levels and through the following goals:
- Developed urban areas are compact and complete
- Multi-modal transportation systems are low carbon
- Buildings are water and energy efficient
- Natural assets are valued for our contributions to climate change
- Waste generation is minimized, and remaining waste is transformed into a resource
- Regional vulnerabilities to the impacts of climate change are understood
- Communities are prepared for and resilient to the impacts of climate change
- Natural assets are resilient to the impacts of climate change
The goals and targets were integrated into Object 7.1 of the Regional Growth Strategy (Bylaw 4017 “Capital Regional District Regional Growth Strategy Bylaw No.1, 2016)”. Reduce community greenhouse gas emissions by 33% (from 2007 levels) by 2020, and by 61% by 2038. In 2019 the Regional Context Statement in the Official Community Plan was amended to show how plan policies address these targets.