FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

“Tariff threats are serious, but so is the climate crisis. Sierra Club BC is calling on the B.C. government to act on both.  

“Yesterday’s throne speech called for rapid industrial development, including fast-tracking major fossil fuel projects by exempting them from important environmental assessments. This is in response to threatened U.S. tariffs but neglects a threat that is just as important and surely longer lasting: the climate crisis that is making life less affordable and less safe for all of us. 

“Sierra Club BC is extremely concerned that the emphasis on weakening environmental safeguards, along with a lack of bold actions to protect old-growth forests and watersheds, will make B.C. residents more vulnerable to deadly and costly climate impacts like drought, wildfires, crop failures and more.  

“There is a lot of talk of kitchen table issues in B.C. – housing, cost of living, health and safety. We cannot solve any of these issues without a stable climate and intact ecosystems. We need government action that addresses more than one crisis at once. We can do this, because solutions exist in the form of jobs in clean, renewable energy, and retrofitting our communities for energy sustainability. The province could continue to move in the right direction by supporting renewable energy projects, and the long-term stable jobs and clean economy they bring. 

“We agree that Donald Trump’s trade threats are grave and need fully fleshed out response plans, from retaliation to support for impacted workers and communities. Contrary to claims of climate leadership, the latest data shows B.C. climate pollution continues to increase instead of coming down. Backsliding on provincial commitments on climate action and ecosystem protection would have similarly devastating consequences to Donald Trump’s wrecking ball approach in the U.S.”

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