N.S. to reassess climate change risks

“There is a lot of work to be done, there’s no doubt about that.” Tim Houston Progressive Conservative Party leader

It's time to update Nova Scotia's climate change risk assessment and the Environment Department has tendered a request for proposals to get the job done.

The successful proponent for the RFP (request for proposals) “will conduct research into resilience, adaptive capacity, and transformability for areas that are at high risk of negative impacts of climate change and highly important to the wellbeing of Nova Scotia and Nova Scotians,” the tender announcement reads.

The risk assessment that could cost up to $80,000 is expected to be completed by early 2022, according to a department spokeswoman.

“Our last study on the impacts of climate change adaptation in Nova Scotia was done in 2005, so it is time to update it,” said Barbara Maclean.

“This is our third RFP for a new provincial climate change risk assessment,” she said. “We're looking for a consultant to help us study our ability to adapt to climate change in vulnerable areas.”

Better late than never, said Tim Houston, leader of the Progressive Conservatives, the official Opposition party.

“The environment, climate change, these have always been top of mind for the PC Party,” Houston said. “We've always tried to encourage the sitting government to take it seriously.”

Houston harkened back to the Environmental Goals and Sustainable Prosperity Act (EGSPA) that was passed by a PC government in the spring of 2007 with the unanimous support from all parties in the legislature.

The Opposition party maintains that the 2007 legislation had hard deadlines and hard caps but has been watered down with the passing of the Liberal government version, An Act to Achieve Environmental Goals and Sustainable Prosperity, that received royal assent in October 2019.

“This is the type of tender that I would have expected to go out in advance of the renewal of the EGSPA legislation,” Houston said. “Of course, the EGSPA legislation, PC legislation, had very impressive environmental goals. It's really what's guided through NDP governments, through Liberal governments, but those are up for renewal and we're really disappointed in the way they are renewed. The legislation was really stripped back.”

Houston said tenders like the risk assessment RFP would have been expected in advance of renewing the legislation.

“I guess better late than never.”

LIBERALS TOUT ACHIEVEMENTS

The Liberal government, in a 2019 climate change progress report posted on the Environment Department website, touts achievements that include surpassing federal 2030 targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions 13 years early, setting one of the most ambitious targets in the country for reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, cutting electricity generated from coal down from 76 per cent in 2007 to 52 per cent in 2018, tripling clean energy in the last decade, implementing the cap and trade system and building a green economy that will create 1,400 jobs in the energy sector.

The deadline for proposals for the risk assessment work is

Jan. 18.

“There is a lot of work to be done, there's no doubt about that and the fact that they are putting out the tender now, we've been waiting for them to take this stuff seriously for quite some time,” Houston said.

The Opposition party maintains that the 2007 legislation had hard deadlines and hard caps but has been watered down with the passing of the Liberal government version, An Act to Achieve Environmental Goals and Sustainable Prosperity, that received royal assent in October 2019.

“This is the type of tender that I would have expected to go out in advance of the renewal of the EGSPA legislation,” Houston said. “Of course, the EGSPA legislation, PC legislation, had very impressive environmental goals. It's really what's guided through NDP governments, through liberal governments, but those are up for renewal and we're really disappointed in the way they are renewed. The legislation was really stripped back.”

Houston said tenders like the risk assessment RFP would have been expected in advance of renewing the legislation.