FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

UNCEDED xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (MUSQUEAM), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (SQUAMISH) AND səlilwətaɬ (TSLEIL-WAUTUTH) TERRITORIES/VANCOUVER – Thirty-four non-governmental organizations from across British Columbia have issued an open letter to Premier David Eby and the BC government, urging stronger climate action in light of a recent advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice (ICJ) that clarifies governments’ legal obligations to address climate change.

The letter emphasizes that the ICJ opinion establishes that climate action is not a political choice, but a legal duty grounded in international and Canadian law. The court found that governments must reduce greenhouse gas emissions “as rapidly as possible” in accordance with their highest possible ambition, and that these duties extend to all stages of fossil fuel production, not just emissions from burning those fuels.

“This opinion from the world’s top court makes it crystal clear: governments – including here in British Columbia – have a legal obligation to act with urgency on climate change,” said lead author Andrew Gage, Staff Lawyer at West Coast Environmental Law. “It’s no longer enough to have targets on paper. International law requires due diligence in actually meeting them, and that means effectively regulating and reducing fossil fuel production as well as use.”

Notably, the ICJ opinion rejects the view that governments can ignore the climate impacts of fossil fuels exported to other jurisdictions, a position the letter says directly challenges BC’s current approach. The Province has recently approved new LNG projects, expanded highways and missed interim climate targets, raising questions about whether it is meeting its due diligence obligations.

In September, the BC government will need to consider the ICJ’s ruling when it decides whether to approve the Ksi Lisims LNG project, which is expected to result in almost 36 million tonnes of annual CO2 emissions in B.C and abroad from production and use of the natural gas, equivalent to more than half of BC’s current reported annual greenhouse gas emissions.

“The BC government has important decisions to make about how we steward our natural resources, including oil and gas, in this era of global warming,” said Shelley Luce, Campaigns Director at Sierra Club BC. “The ICJ ruling is a strong reminder of our obligation to protect the lives and rights of people now and in the future. Burning LNG increases climate pollution and as a major global climate polluter, BC is increasingly vulnerable to compensation claims from low-polluting countries around the world. It’s time we take responsibility for our actions on climate and scale back fossil fuels to focus on clean energy at home and abroad.”

The groups are calling on the BC government to:

• Strengthen BC’s 2030 climate targets in the CleanBC review to reflect the Province’s highest possible ambition and align with limiting global temperature increases to less than 1.5°C.
• Adopt and enforce measures capable of meeting those targets, with effective monitoring and accountability.
• End approvals for fossil fuel expansion and other projects that undermine BC’s climate goals.
• Ensure all climate policy upholds human rights, advances climate justice, and respects Indigenous rights and sovereignty.

“BC has a chance right now – with the CleanBC review underway – to bring its climate plan in line with its legal obligations and to protect present and future generations,” the letter concludes.

The letter is endorsed by 34 organizations representing communities, scientists, youth, healthcare professionals, educators and environmental advocates from across British Columbia.

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