Publications

Reports and Resources

Reports & Backgrounders

Species-at-risk Recovery in BC: An audit of federal and provincial actions – November 2022

An independent report highlighting the federal and provincial legal gaps driving biodiversity loss and extinction in BC—and how a biodiversity law co-developed with Indigenous Nations can help fix this.

Protecting bear dens in B.C. forests – April 2022

An Environmental Law Centre report for Sierra Club BC.

Intact forests, safe communities – February 2021

A report on reducing community climate risks through forest protection and a paradigm shift in forest management.

Clearcut Carbon: A report on the future of forests in BC – December 2019

An in-depth review of forest carbon emissions, which found that ending clearcutting of forests is as important for BC climate action as phasing out fossil fuels.

Balancing the Canoe – September 2019

Acknowledging our history and changing course for our future. A reflection and statement of accountability.

Old-Growth Media Backgrounder– Fall 2019

A backgrounder for media on the state of old-growth forests in B.C.

Old-Growth Forest Fact Sheet – May 2019

A two page backgrounder on the crisis in BC’s forests and how the BC government can step up old-growth forest protection.

Joint Recommendations on Changes to FRPA – July 2019

A joint submission to the BC government’s review of forestry laws.

Applying Solutions from the Great Bear Rainforest Agreements to Vancouver Island and the South Coast – July 2019

Environmental Law Centre report for Sierra Club BC

Forestry and Carbon in BC – March 2019

A report by Dr. Jim Pojar debunking 7 myths about forests, carbon and climate change

Old-growth backgrounder for provincial legislation amendments – February 2019

A backgrounder on old-growth protection targets to inform amendments to the Forest & Range Practices Act
(FRPA).

Hidden, Ignored and Growing: BC’s Forest Carbon Emissions – January 2019

A report on the massive and growing emissions from BC’s forests due to destructive logging, beetle outbreaks and climate change-fuelled wildfires. The BC government must begin to properly track and report on forest emissions.

Hydro Bill Madness: The BC Government Goes For Broke With Your Money – March 2017

This report shows the BC government is offering subsidies to LNG and fracking companies in the form of tax cuts, royalty credits, and below-cost power. To power this industry, the BC government decided to build the $9 billion Site C earth-fill dam. Taxpayers and BC Hydro ratepayers could be left with the bill for hundreds of millions of dollars per year.

Kinder Morgan Fact Sheet – Last updated January 2017

A backgrounder of facts on the Kinder Morgan Trans Mountain pipeline and tankers proposal.

Issue Briefing: Kinder Morgan Process Flaws – November 2016

A briefing note outlining the flaws in the NEB’s and Ministerial Panel’s Kinder Morgan review processes.

Issue Briefing: Kinder Morgan Project – November 2016

A briefing note outlining the Kinder Morgan Trans Mountain Pipeline and Tanker proposal.

Vancouver Island and South Coast Rainforest at High Ecological Risk – March 2016

A new mapping analysis by Sierra Club BC shows almost half the rainforest areas on Vancouver Island and the South coast at high ecological risk due to dangerously low levels of remaining productive old-growth forest.

The Future is Here: An Urgent Call to Defend Nature, Stabilize the Climate and Transition to Post-Carbon Prosperity – October 2015

This document outlines a vision and makes proposals for changing the way we manage B.C.’s waters, lands, and resources in the face of climate change and its accelerating impacts.

Blind Spot: The Failure to Consider Climate in British Columbia’s Environmental Assessments (Full Report) – September 2015

This report recommends a fundamental reform of the Environmental Assessment (EA) process for new projects. We recommend that the Province consistently apply a comprehensive “climate test” when assessing projects that could exacerbate climate change. (Blind Spot Backgrounder)

Credibility Crisis: Major Flaws Threaten Credibility of NEB Assessment of Kinder Morgan – June 2015

The National Energy Board (NEB) has been widely criticized in its review of the Kinder Morgan pipeline expansion proposal for failures in process, for limiting participation, and for a lack of accountability and fairness. In this report, we detail the deficiencies in the process to date that are giving rise to public criticism and dissatisfaction, and causing some intervenors to withdraw.

BC Forest Wake-Up Call: Heavy Carbon Losses Hit 10-Year Mark – June 2015

For a full decade, B.C. forests have been releasing dramatically more carbon into the atmosphere than they have absorbed out of the atmosphere. B.C.’s forests emitted 256 million tonnes of carbon dioxide during the period 2003 – 2012. In contrast, B.C.’s forests absorbed 441 million tonnes of carbon dioxide from 1993 to 2002.This is the key finding of a Sierra Club BC analysis of B.C. government forest carbon emissions data.

BC Forest Carbon Meltdown – January 2014

According to new provincial data quietly released on a government website, B.C. forests are now approaching a full decade of releasing carbon rather than absorbing it.

Carbon at Risk: Old-growth and Carbon – February 2013

Efforts to protect and restore the ability of our forests to store and sequester carbon must particularly focus on our temperate rainforests that have shown so far to be more resilient to climate impacts than other ecosystems. Increased conservation and improved forest management can help immediately to reduce provincial emissions. In the light of the alarming emission trends and the speed of climate change we can no longer afford to neglect our forests.

UNESCO Recommendations on the Flathead River Valley: A Report Card on Progress – February 2013

Executive summary of the February 2013 report. CPAWS-BC, Headwaters Montana, NPCA, Sierra Club BC, Wildsight and Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative.

Emissions Impossible? British Columbia’s Uncounted Greenhouse Gas Emissions Executive Summary – September 2012

Global warming is here, greenhouse gas emissions continue to increase, and climate change impacts appear greater than feared. Despite these alarming trends, here in British Columbia climate policy has lost momentum and the provincial government is not building on its initial steps to fight global warming and reduce emissions in a coherent and adequate manner. (Emissions Impossible Executive Summary)

Joint Submission to the B.C. Ministry of Finance’s Carbon Tax Review – August 2012

Labour and environmental movements across Canada have called for a fair and effective price on carbon as one of the tools needed to transition to a low carbon future. As such, we recognize B.C.’s carbon tax as an important step in that direction.

Towards a Clean Energy Accord – July 2012

This document is a collaborative, solutions-focused call for Canadian provincial leaders and aboriginal governments to embrace the responsibility and opportunity of developing a bold new energy strategy for Canada

Clean Water: A Resource Worth Protecting – July 2012

Coal mining threatens Vancouver Island water resources, and the industries that depend on them.

Presentation to the Special Committee on Timber Supply – July 2012

In July 2012, Sierra Club BC’s Forests and Climate campaigner Jens Wieting spoke to the Special Committee on on Timber Supply.

Scientists Declaration on Clayoquot Sound – November 2011

133 experts and scientists have signed a declaration calling for the permanent protection of old–growth rainforests in Clayoquot Sound.

The Real Story B.C.’s Uncounted Greenhouse Gas Emissions GHG Emissions Backgrounder – September 2011

In August 2011, the B.C. government quietly released only a limited set of updated data tables for provincial emissions in 2009. According to the new data, B.C.’s 2009 greenhouse gas emissions were 67 million tonnes of carbon dioxide.

Fair and Effective Carbon Pricing: Lessons from BC – February 2011

This report considers lessons learned to date from the BC experience, and the next steps required for an effective and equitable carbon pricing strategy. BC’s carbon pricing, while it is a positive first step, has serious flaws (Fair and Effective Carbon Pricing Executive Summary)

Restoring the Balance for Climate and Species – January 2011

Logging practices in B.C.’s coastal rainforests are a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions and must be included in B.C.’s official annual carbon emissions tally, Sierra Club BC said today in a report. This report reveals that B.C.’s official carbon emissions would be 24 per cent higher if emissions from coastal rainforests were included.

Back in Black: The Dirty World of Coal in B.C. – May 2010

Coal was one of Vancouver Island’s earliest industries, and now it is making a dubious come-back. A new coal mine called “Raven” is proposed near Fanny Bay in the scenic Comox Valley.

Blue Carbon – British Columbia – August 2010

B.C.’s estuaries hold extraordinary potential for moderating climate change and should be our highest priority for conservation of any marine or terrestrial habitat. This report evaluates the carbon storage potential of two highly-biodiverse marine habitats—salt marsh and seagrass meadow—in the light of a recent discovery of the crucial role of estuarine vegetation in binding carbon.

Managing BC’s Forests for a Cooler Planet – January 2010

This paper advocates for a broad approach to managing our publicly-owned forest resources. It invites us to re-imagine forestry in BC, not through the traditional (and opposing) lenses of either maximizing human use, or maximizing protected areas, but rather, with a view towards maximizing carbon storage.

State of British Columbia’s Coast Rainforest: Mapping the Gaps for Ecological Health and Climate Protection – December 2009

This analysis by the Sierra Club BC mapping department shows how decades of industrial logging have led to a significant decline in the amount of old-growth coverage in coastal rainforest ecosystems, seriously compromising species habitat and carbon storage capacity. (High resolution also available)

Clean Electricity Recommendations – December 2009

Many British Columbians — including those deeply concerned about climate change — harbour concerns about how renewable electricity is currently planned, promoted and developed in BC. We offer six basic recommendations on the direction we think government should take in clean electricity planning and development.

Defense for Climate and Species – February 2009

A report based on a review of potential climate change implications of the Great Bear Rainforest Agreements.

Greenhouse Gas Emission Reduction Scenarios for B.C. – August 2008

In this paper we review current science, from the most credible sources, to help provide an understanding of the basis for, and the scale of, the global warming problem and the kind of contribution BC might make to its solution (Authors Summary)(Appendices)