B.C.'S Updated Climate Action Plan: What You Need To Know, What's In, And What's Been Left Out

The B.C. government recently released the much anticipated Climate Leadership Plan (Plan), which updates the 2008 Climate Action Plan (2008 Plan) and responds to the government-appointed Climate Leadership Team's (Panel) 32 recommendations for climate action for British Columbia. The Plan attempts to balance the actions required to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) to reach 2050 targets with the government's policies aimed at protecting the economy.

Although the Plan outlines more than 20 climate action areas that will be developed, Panel recommendations that are not addressed in the Plan are also noteworthy. This includes: no increase in the carbon tax, no interim 2030 reduction targets, no sectoral reduction targets, and no environmental assessment of the social cost of carbon. However, since the Plan is but a "first step", those elements may ultimately find their way into an updated Plan as the B.C. government negotiates with the federal government and the