SCBC reacts to today’s IPCC report and what it means for BC

Sierra Club BC Senior Forest and Climate Campaigner Jens Wieting offers the following statement in response to today’s IPCC report and implications for B.C.

“Today’s IPCC report (the latest in a three-part series) shows that close to half of the world’s population is already exposed to increasingly dangerous climate impacts and that any further delay in concerted global action will miss a brief and rapidly closing window to secure a liveable future.

“Today’s report shows that even with multiple crises in the world, our governments can’t afford to lose sight of how little time remains before large swaths of the planet will become uninhabitable. We have waited too long and continued delays are irresponsible as deadly climate impacts are only escalating. Canada is among the top ten global polluters and like Canada, British Columbia has failed to meet emission reduction targets for over a decade. There are few regions on the planet that can do more than Canada and British Columbia to rapidly reduce emissions.

“B.C.’s emissions have increased every year during the last five years data is available for (2015-2019) and remain higher than in 2007, the baseline year chosen by the province. Despite the climate emergency, the B.C. government continues to support and subsidize the expansion of fracking operations and construction of the LNG Canada terminal in Kitimat. Unless stopped, this project will drastically increase emissions in 2025, the same year B.C. emissions are supposed to be 16 percent lower than in 2007. LNG Canada and other proposed LNG terminals would almost certainly make it impossible to meet 2030, 2040 and 2050 targets.

“The new IPCC report emphasizes the untapped potential of nature to reduce some climate risks, slow down climate change and improve peoples’ lives and livelihoods. The scientists found that safeguarding the resilience of biodiversity and ecosystem services depends on effective conservation of approximately 30 to 50 percent of Earth’s land, freshwater and ocean areas.

“While Canada has committed to increasing protection of lands and waters to 30 percent by 2030 and billions of dollars in funding to achieve this goal, the B.C. government has not developed any plan or committed any funding to increase the amount of permanently protected areas in the province.

“B.C.’s February budget 2022 offered more funding for climate adaptation ($2.1 billion) than new funding for reducing climate pollution ($1.2 billion). While more funding for climate adaptation is needed, today’s IPCC report shows that adaptation strategies become ineffective beyond certain levels of dangerous warming.”

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Latest provincial GHG emissions data in Canada’s National Inventory Report
https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/climate-change/greenhouse-gas-emissions/sources-sinks-executive-summary-2021.html#toc6

More information about BC’s skyrocketing uncounted forest emissions

 

Media contact:

Jens Wieting, Senior Forest and Climate Campaigner | Sierra Club BC
jens@sierraclub.bc.ca, (604) 354-5312