Greens want to see Horgan’s plan for zero emissions
SQUAMISH — John Horgan says a re-elected NDP government would commit to net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
Horgan made the campaign promise during a stop in Squamish on Friday as Liberal Leader Andrew Wilkinson announced support for the beleaguered forestry industry in Merritt.
Horgan said the commitment builds on the existing CleanBC plan developed in partnership with the Green caucus, which calls for a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 80% of 2007 levels by 2050.
“It means not only will we meet our reduction targets, but we will also aggressively go to make sure any new emissions are offset by either sequestration or some other technologies to make sure that net-zero allows our economy to continue to grow and also addresses the challenge of further greenhouse gas emission,” he said.
But Green Leader Sonia Furstenau said the net-zero emission promise is meaningless without a plan for how to get there.
Studies suggest that when the NDP-backed LNG Canada project is factored in, emissions from oil and gas production will exceed B.C.’s existing 2050 target by 160 per cent, even if all other emissions are reduced to zero by 2035, she said in a news release.
“We already have legislated targets for 2050, but the B.C. NDP has shown they have no plan to meet them,” Furstenau said.
The Pembina Institute, which supports a transition to clean energy, said comprehensive annual reporting is critical if British Columbia wants to assess its success at bringing carbon pollution down.
“We simply can’t afford to keep missing targets for reducing carbon pollution,” B.C. director Karen Tam Wu said in a statement.
“All parties must put forward a robust plan to achieve B.C.’s climate 2030 target to have any hope of flattening the carbon-pollution curve by 2050 and positioning British Columbia for a stable future in the face of global disruptions.”
Horgan said reaching the net-zero carbon goal would “present opportunities” for the province.
“Meeting this ambitious target of net-zero emissions will help us create good jobs through the recovery while we reduce air pollution,” he said in a statement.
On forestry, Wilkinson said a BC Liberal government would work with the federal government to address both stumpage and market pricing at the same time as addressing the softwood lumber dispute.
A Liberal plan would include a revision of stumpage fees and he gave Alberta as an example of a province that adjusts the fees monthly.
“For some reason, the NDP have locked us into this annual revision of stumpage that means very huge lags and delays. When the price of lumber goes up and down, that means the pricing of stumpage is inappropriate within months.”
A Liberal government would expedite certification of wood products used in multi-level construction projects, pass legislation to protect the working forest and fund silviculture, Wilkinson said, without providing specifics.
Wilkinson said the Liberals would put an end to obstructions of the Trans Mountain pipeline and other projects that have been approved.