Victoria – The Government of British Columbia released the province’s 2019 budget, committing nearly $1 billion in funding for its CleanBC climate strategy.
Alan Andrews, Ecojustice’s climate change program director, released the following statement in response:
“We’re pleased to see that the government has delivered on its promise to fully fund its climate strategy. It is investing hundreds of millions of dollars in a cleaner future – for example, by helping people switch to cleaner forms of transport and make their homes more energy efficient.
“Crucially, putting climate change at the heart of the budget will help to ensure that all government departments are responsible for making progress. Just like sound public finances, progress on climate change requires planning, transparency, and accountability.
“But this budget also serves as a sobering reality check. There are still big gaps in the government’s climate strategy – by far the biggest being that it only gets us three quarters of the way to the 2030 emissions target, which itself falls short of what scientists agree needs to be done to keep climate change in check.
“Climate change poses an urgent threat to our health, security, and way of life. British Columbians are on the front lines of the climate emergency, as the last two years of wildfires have shown.
“New laws are needed to ensure that the building momentum on climate is sustained and accelerated in the years and decades to come. A climate accountability act must require ministers to show us how they are going to achieve climate targets and ensure that their ambition ratchets up over time.
“We look forward to working with the province to help deliver and enforce strong climate laws that will put B.C. on the track to a safe climate future.”
