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Tag Archive for: Sierra Club BC

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Thirty days milestone shows B.C.’s old-growth intentions require immediate funding

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Thousands of hectares of at-risk forests recommended for deferrals already logged, thousands more on the chopping block

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 

December 1, 2021 

Xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) (VANCOUVER, BC) — Continued logging in some of the most at-risk old-growth forests recommended for deferrals proves that the B.C. government’s old-growth intentions cannot become reality without immediate adequate funding commitments to address short-term impacts, enable Indigenous-led conservation solutions and finance a just transition for workers.

One month has passed since the B.C. government announced new data, mapping and their intention to defer logging across 2.6 million hectares of the most at-risk old-growth in the province. The province shared the mapping of proposed deferrals with all Indigenous Nations across the province, with a request for a response within 30 days.

One month later it remains uncertain, however, how many of the proposed 2.6 million hectares of at-risk forests have been deferred, how many already got logged in recent weeks and how many are at imminent risk of logging, unless deferrals come quickly. A rough review by Sierra Club BC shows that thousands of hectares that were proposed for deferrals already got logged and thousands more are on the chopping block for the coming months. The province declared that BC Timber Sales will stop auctioning at-risk forests but has not taken steps to stop big logging corporations from continued clearcutting of at-risk forests.

“The importance of last month’s provincial mapping, which showed the old-growth emergency and the areas that require immediate action, is undermined by the lack of a coherent action plan, particularly adequate funding,” said Jens Wieting, Sierra Club BC’s senior forest and climate campaigner. “The B.C. government has accepted that some types of old-growth forests are as imperilled as endangered whales, but they still haven’t stopped the industrial hunt.”

The escalating climate emergency shows the growing urgency to defend the lifesaving, irreplaceable benefits of intact old-growth forests before climate impacts like the current floods and the recent heat dome and wildfires create even more havoc.

“The old-growth discussion is dominated by overstating economic impacts of protection when we should be talking about the devastating losses caused by logging the last old-growth. From mitigating billion-dollar damages caused by climate impacts like landslides and floods, to storing huge amounts of carbon and preserving species habitat, drinking water, clean air and long-term jobs in a diverse economy – the benefits of protecting the last old-growth are immeasurable,” said Wieting.

Sierra Club BC’s recent expert report ‘Intact Forest, Safe Communities’ showed that clearcut logging of intact forests exacerbates climate impact risks like flooding, landslides, heatwaves and wildfires.

The inadequate roll-out of the provincial intention to protect at-risk old-growth forests stands in contrast to lessons learned through the conservation financing component of the Great Bear Rainforest Agreement. The 2006 announcement included $120 million to support Indigenous Nations in the region and enable protection of an additional 1.7 million hectares in new protected areas, with provincial and federal governments matching private funding.

Provincial leadership in protecting forests and reforming forestry is essential if Canada is to follow through with last month’s UN Climate Conference commitment to halt and reverse forest loss and land degradation by 2030, as well as the previous commitment to increase protection to 30 percent by 2030. B.C. has so far protected about 15 percent.

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Background:

Reviewing active and pending cut blocks shown in the provincial Forest Tenure Cut Blocks layer and comparing them with the proposed deferrals map, Sierra Club BC found more than 16,000 hectares with a ‘planned harvest’ date in 2021 and more than 6,000 hectares with a ‘planned harvest’ date in 2022 or beyond (some reserves that are retained within the blocks are not mapped yet, so the final number will be slightly lower).

‘Intact Forests, Safe Communities’ report on reducing community climate risks through forest protection and a paradigm shift in forest management: https://sierraclub.bc.ca/intact-forests-safe-communities-sierra-club-bc-report/

Data and maps provided by the Technical Advisory Panel on November 2, 2021: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/industry/forestry/managing-our-forest-resources/old-growth-forests/old-growth-maps

 

Media contact:

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

 

 

Photo: Mya Van Woudenberg/Sierra Club BC

Environmental Groups Demand Apology From Premier Kenney for Defamatory Statements

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

November 24, 2021

Edmonton, Vancouver, Toronto, Ottawa — Environmental groups are demanding that Premier Jason Kenney retract statements and issue an apology for communications they say are defamatory and directly contrary to the findings of the Public Inquiry into Anti-Alberta Energy Campaigns. In a letter to the premier, groups say these statements were designed to undermine their reputations and credibility and misrepresent the facts to the public, and state they are considering legal action if he does not back down.

“Premier Kenney and the Alberta government are misrepresenting the results of the Alberta Inquiry, which found no wrongdoing by environmental groups,” said Tim Gray, Executive Director of Environmental Defence. “We’ve all seen the dangers of such practices where truth is distorted, especially on social media. We’re asking that Premier Kenney correct the record.”

The letter states:

We have reviewed the statements published by the Alberta government in its “Key Findings” document and subsequently repeated and amplified by you on social media platforms Facebook and Twitter, including the patently false claim that the Inquiry’s “report confirms the existence of well-funded foreign interests that have been waging a decade-long campaign of misinformation. These statements are defamatory as they assert that our clients have deliberately spread “misinformation.”

In fact, Commissioner Allan was unequivocal in his report that he was making no such finding.

Groups, including Environmental Defence, West Coast Environmental Law, Greenpeace Canada, Raincoast Conservation, Sierra Club Canada Foundation, Sierra Club of British Columbia, Western Canada Wilderness Committee and Dogwood Initiative, are asking Premier Kenney/the Alberta government to:

  • Remove the defamatory statements published on the government of Alberta’s website.
  • Retract earlier defamatory statements.
  • Publish an apology to the groups on Premier Kenney’s Facebook and Twitter accounts.

“Climate change is causing devastating impacts across Canada, from catastrophic flooding and forest fires in British Columbia, thawing permafrost and sea ice in the North, to increasingly dangerous storms in Atlantic Canada,” said Jessica Clogg, Executive Director and Senior Counsel of West Coast Environmental Law. “Yet, Premier Kenney continues to attempt to delegitimize factual and legitimate concerns about what needs to be done to protect Canadians and the environment. This anti-democratic and dangerous witch hunt must end so civil society organizations can safely get back to the important work of addressing the climate emergency.”

Groups are giving Premier Kenney until November 30th to respond.

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For more information, please contact:

Allen Braude | Senior Communications Manager, Environmental Defence abraude@environmentaldefence.ca, (416) 356-2587

Paul Champ | Human Rights Lawyer
(613) 816-2441

Anna Johnston | Staff Lawyer, West Coast Environmental Law
ajohnston@wcel.org, (604) 340-2304

Sierra Club BC reacts to the recent and ongoing RCMP violence in Wet’suwet’en territory

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

November 23, 2021

Sierra Club BC Climate Justice Campaigner Anjali Appadurai offers the following statement in response to the RCMP raid on Wet’suwet’en Territory during a provincial state of emergency.

“Sierra Club BC condemns the recent and ongoing RCMP violence in Wet’suwet’en territory. These actions are in violation of Wet’suwet’en and Canadian law, are a wasteful use of resources in the middle of a widespread state of emergency, and represent a failure of provincial leadership to advance reconciliation and climate action.

“B.C. has suffered a devastating string of climate change impacts in the span of a few months. The deep human, economic and ecological damage from these climate events underscore the need for urgent, emergency-level climate action, which must begin with an immediate move away from fossil fuels in the province. Instead, it’s been incredibly demoralizing to watch precious resources deployed not to provide urgent relief to flood victims, but rather to attack land defenders and protect the interests of a pipeline company on unceded Indigenous lands.

“The Province has made a specific policy choice to prioritize the enforcement of Coastal GasLink’s injunction over a true application of the 1997 Delgamuukw decision that granted Wet’suwet’en Peoples rights and title to their lands. They made another specific policy choice to deploy RCMP and provincial resources to remove Indigenous land defenders during an acutely devastating extreme weather event. This failure of leadership is underscored by the failure of B.C.’s climate plan to meaningfully address the scale of climate action needed in this province in order to meet the scale of the crisis.

“The climate emergency has reached B.C., and we need leadership that is able to make the rapid economic re-prioritization that will enable us to put lives and livelihoods before corporate profits. The fossil fuel industry has a deep hold on our political leadership and our economy, but this is a matter of political will. Real climate action in B.C. is still possible if our leadership acts with courage and urgency to end fossil fuel subsidies and uphold Indigenous rights. We must urgently move to an understanding of climate action that recognizes the link between colonization, the erasure of Indigenous knowledge, and the destructive nature of extractive industries. Only by prioritizing Indigenous sovereignty and title to land can we begin to approach sufficiently transformative climate action.

“British Columbians have had their eyes opened to the realities of the intersecting crises we face, from the distress of the pandemic to the devastation of the heat dome, fires, floods and extreme weather events of the past few months. Despite the colonial structures that seek to legitimize unacceptable levels of resource extraction in a time of climate emergency, Indigenous land defenders are protecting the best interests of people, the living beings we share this land with, and the planet. Our provincial leadership may soon find themselves lagging behind their constituents when it comes to understanding the speed and scale of action needed to tackle the climate crisis, and recognizing that Indigenous land defenders are providing the leadership that the provincial government is currently lacking.”

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Additional background:

Sierra Club BC is one of more than 240 diverse organizations and businesses that have signed an open letter calling on the B.C. government to confront the climate emergency and undertake ten urgent climate actions.

Media contact:

Anjali Appadurai, Climate Justice Campaigner | Sierra Club BC
Anjali@sierraclub.bc.ca, 604-328-6443

 

Social share photo by Leila Darwish

After disappointing Climate Summit, B.C. government should stop obstructing Indigenous-led climate solutions

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The Nuchatlaht Nation’s land claim is one of the few rays of hope to come out from COP26

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

November 18, 2021

Xʷməθkʷəy̓əm, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh and səlilwətaɬ (VANCOUVER, BC) and Glasgow — After a disappointing conclusion to COP26 in Glasgow that will make it harder to achieve the 1.5°C goal established in the Paris Agreements, representatives from the Union of BC Indian Chiefs, Sierra Club BC and the Nuchatlaht Nation that attended the climate summit in the U.K. are calling on the B.C. government to step aside and stop opposing Indigenous-led climate solutions.

The divisive summit comes to an end as unprecedented amounts of rain, flooding and mudslides wreak havoc across southern B.C., closing highways, prompting widespread evacuations and leaving people stranded, only months after the deadliest heatwave in B.C.’s recorded history.

Despite this, the B.C. government’s plans for at-risk old-growth protection and CleanBC, while good intentioned, fail to provide the level of ambition needed to ensure that targets are met and that ecosystem collapse is avoided. The lack of actionable timelines and funding for a just transition will only pave the way for more old-growth logging, more oil and gas expansion and, as a result, more environmental degradation, biodiversity loss and climate risks like flooding, droughts, watershed damage and wildfires. Fugitive emissions from B.C.’s LNG industry are significantly underestimated using existing monitoring requirements, and the massive emissions from forest management are excluded from the annually reported provincial emissions inventory altogether.

“While the B.C. government is in Glasgow receiving unwarranted praise as a climate leader, they continue to fight First Nations in court, destroy endangered species habitat, log high-carbon density old-growth forests and build fossil fuel pipelines across Indigenous territories in violation of the U.N. Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People,” said Mark Worthing, coastal projects lead at Sierra Club BC.

One ray of hope that emerged during COP26 came from Indigenous-led climate solutions that were presented during the two-week summit. One of these is the Nuchatlaht Nation’s title case and Salmon Parks initiative for which the Nation is taking the B.C. government to court in a bid to win back 20,000 hectares of their territory on Nootka Island. This project was presented during COP26 by Nuchatlaht Nation Tyee Haa’wilth Jordan Michael and representatives from the Union of BC Indian Chiefs and Sierra Club BC.

“Our land claim decision can set a precedent for Indigenous people across Canada. And if our small tribe of about 160 people can set in motion change that affects our entire country, think about what 160 nations working together could do to impact change in our world to solve climate change,” said Tyee Haa’wilth Jordan Michael from the Nuchatlaht Nation.

“For generations, First Nations have been excluded from making decisions about the fate of our own lands and resources in this province, resulting in mismanagement of much of the old-growth forests here. With only a tiny fraction of BC’s old growth remaining, the province must work with Nations to ensure that these crucial wild salmon habitats and carbon stores have a future as living ecosystems and not as products Without providing funds to First Nations to replace any potential lost revenues if they proceed with deferrals, the Province is seeking consent by coercion. What kind of a choice do Nations really have if they are going to lose critical revenue when they choose deferrals?” said Kukpi7 Judy Wilson, secretary treasurer at the Union of BC Indian Chiefs.

“Indigenous people have always known how to take care of our salmon. We have always known how to have a good relationship with forests. Biodiversity, old-growth and carbon-rich ecosystems can’t wait any longer for colonial governments’ weak or false solutions. We’re taking matters into our own hands now. We’re taking land back,” added Tlalita’las – Karissa Glendale, forest relations coordinator at Sierra Club BC and a member of the Kwakwaka’wakw.

Sierra Club BC and the Union of BC Indian Chiefs are calling for the B.C. government to take real action to mitigate the climate emergency that is causing widespread destruction and biodiversity loss in the province by stopping old-growth logging, ending oil and gas expansion and embracing Indigenous-led climate solutions and reconciliation.

 

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Media contacts:

Tyee Haa’wilth Jordan Michael | Nuchatlaht Nation
+12508954396, Jmichael.Nuchatlaht@gmail.com

Kukpi7 Judy Wilson | Secretary Treasurer, Union of BC Indian Chiefs
C/O 778-866-0548, judy@ubcic.bc.ca

Tlalita’las – Karissa Glendale | Forest Relations Coordinator at Sierra Club BC
+1 (250) 974-4209, tlalitalas@sierraclub.bc.ca

Mark Worthing | Coastal Projects Lead at Sierra Club BC
+12508893575, mark@sierraclub.bc.ca

 

 

Photo: Ana Pessoa

Sierra Club BC media availability on last day of COP26 and what it means for B.C.

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November 12, 2021

Please be advised that Sierra Club BC’s Senior Forest and Climate Campaigner Jens Wieting is available to comment on the emerging UN agreements from COP26, scheduled to end today, and what they mean for B.C.

“The ineffective pledges coming out of COP26 and the weak plans to fulfill them are devastating and put us on course for climate breakdown. The most important outcome of this conference is that public pressure has made it impossible to ignore the elephants in the room: climate action that actually allows for survival with a plan to end fossil fuel production; making climate justice a reality, in particular for Indigenous Peoples; and protecting ecosystems and biodiversity, not as offsets, but as an indispensable pillar of climate policy,” said Jens Wieting, senior forest and climate campaigner at Sierra Club BC.

“It’s ironic for B.C. to receive an ‘Under2’ award when everything suggests that the province’s current path is a blueprint for catastrophic warming above 2 degrees. This after five years of growing climate pollution, increasing fossil fuel subsidies to expand fracking, a 2030 target inconsistent with IPCC findings, and skyrocketing uncounted forest management emissions with no target or plan to reduce them. Without addressing the elephants in the room, this province remains part of those jurisdictions that present a threat for the future of humanity, not a model for survival. As COP26 ends, the real work is only just beginning, at home,” said Wieting.

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Media contact:

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

BC old-growth announcement confirms ecological emergency

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New government mapping of at-risk old-growth calls for urgent action. But the pace of change on the ground remains uncertain, which could unleash a race to the bottom

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 

November 2, 2021 

Xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) (VANCOUVER, BC) — Sierra Club BC commends the B.C. government’s new information and mapping on the state of old-growth forests in B.C. and their intention to defer logging across 2.6 million hectares of the most at-risk old-growth forests. But the organization remains very concerned about the lack of certainty on when deferrals will be implemented and funding for Indigenous Nations and forestry workers that would enable the transition.

“The work by the technical advisory panel shared today by the B.C. government shows the province’s ecological emergency in unprecedented detail and pinpoints which old-growth forests need immediate interim protection. Despite delays, it’s not too late to use this new mapping to stop the ongoing destruction of the most at-risk old-growth forests and implement the paradigm shift towards ecological integrity while respecting Indigenous jurisdiction,” said Jens Wieting, Senior Forest and Climate Campaigner at Sierra Club BC.

“Making the paradigm shift a reality will depend on quickly offering clarity on where and when the next logging deferrals will hit the ground and what level of support communities can count on. Without these steps, today’s announcement would be equivalent to adding tigers to the red-listed species, but not ending the hunt immediately,” added Wieting.

The new provincially endorsed data and mapping show that old-growth forests cover a smaller area than previously reported: 11.1 million hectares (less than 20 percent of B.C.’s total forest area). According to the new provincial summary, about two-thirds of the remaining old-growth (7.6 million hectares) have been identified as at-risk old-growth forests. Of those 7.6 million hectares, two-thirds (5 million hectares) are unprotected. And of those unprotected at-risk stands, a little more than half (2.6 million hectares) is recommended for deferrals. The new information and mapping have also been shared with Indigenous Nations across the province.

“The significance of the new old-growth analysis and maps cannot be overstated. In the case of both the biodiversity and climate crises, using scientifically accurate information is paramount to assess risk and inform solutions. Now that this information exists, the B.C. government must show the same courage and leadership to act on these important findings,” added Wieting.

Today’s announcement also included $12.69 million in capacity funding for First Nations while they make decisions on logging deferrals in their territories, but falls short on details when it comes to transition financing to support Indigenous Nations and forestry workers and didn’t include any information on financing for Indigenous-led conservation solutions. Making the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples a reality requires adequate funding to give First Nations a real choice when it comes to ending destructive resource extraction on their lands and waters.

The province also announced that BC Timber Sales will stop selling logging licences in the most at-risk forests that were identified. BC Timber Sales controls one-fifth of logging in the province, meaning this step should result in interim protection for about 500,000 hectares of the most at-risk old-growth forests.

The province must quickly find ways to ensure that all logging companies in B.C. pause logging of any of the most at-risk old-growth forests.

“Without binding mechanisms for all operators, there is a risk that the new mapping could unleash a race to the bottom if operators decide to cut down the identified at-risk forests before interim protection is in place,” added Wieting.

Immediate reductions to the annual allowable cut while logging deferrals take effect will be needed to prevent pushing planned logging from one area into another one. Additionally, regular updates on the progress made implementing deferrals for all of the most at-risk old-growth forests is paramount to address delays and create accountability.

“For several months, international news from B.C. has been about police arresting forest defenders to clear the path for clearcutting some of the last old-growth forests on Southern Vancouver Island. The world is watching from the UN conference in Glasgow and elsewhere, eagerly waiting for news on when at-risk old-growth forests in B.C. will be truly protected,” said Wieting.

 

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For more information on the data and maps provided by the Technical Advisory Panel visit: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/industry/forestry/managing-our-forest-resources/old-growth-forests/old-growth-maps

Media contact:

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

 

 

Photo: Mya Van Woudenberg/Sierra Club BC

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