B.C. has announced sectoral greenhouse gas (GHG) targets for 2030 in transportation, industry, oil and gas and buildings and communities.
B.C. is the first province in Canada to set sectoral targets covering emissions across the economy. As part of legislated requirements, the government will revisit the targets in four years, with options to increase the number of sectors included and narrow the percentage ranges.
“British Columbia is leading the way forward in Canada by setting sectoral targets that will help increase accountability and clarity for each sector, as we work together to reach a world of net-zero emissions,” said Colleen Giroux-Schmidt, vice-president of corporate relations with Innergex Renewable Energy Inc., and co-chair of B.C.’s Climate Solutions Council.
The province has announced a new round of applications for emission reduction projects for 2021 through the CleanBC Industry Fund with temporary changes to increase the provincial share of funding up to 90 per cent of project costs with a cap of $25 million per project to encourage a greater number of proposals.
Officials have also introduced a new stream for the CleanBC Industry Fund to support industry projects that use advanced clean tech solutions for difficult emission problems. They are calling it the Innovation Accelerator.
“The CleanBC Industry Fund is helping build on the innovative work and commitment of cement producers in British Columbia to reduce emissions and support good local jobs,” said Michael McSweeney, president and CEO of the Cement Association of Canada. “The Canadian cement industry applauds the Government of B.C. on its continued financial commitment to support GHG reductions, support which, through prior funding, has enabled our industry to begin a transition to the use of lower carbon fuels and produce some of the cleanest cement in Canada, including a lower GHG-intensity Portland limestone cement.”
The province also aims to spend $33 million on 19 CleanBC Industry Fund projects. Officials noted this will unlock an additional multi-sectoral investment from industry of $51 million in cleaner technology and energy efficiency. Combined, these investments are expected to eliminate 1.1 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent over the next decade.
″Sectoral targets are an essential tool in tracking B.C.’s progress toward building a clean economy and safe climate; it’s a model for all of Canada. While targets alone won’t reduce emissions, they give us a clearer picture of opportunities and challenges to reduce carbon emissions from specific sources. The targets show that we need to be ambitious with current policies – including reinstating the carbon tax increases – and ensure clean energy production and use across the province aligns with B.C.’s goals of creating clean jobs, reducing carbon emissions by 40 per cent by 2030, and setting B.C. up to be net-zero by 2050,″ said Karen Tam Wu, B.C. director, Pembina Institute.
