The Green Party of B.C. has landed what it expects to be the first of several high-profile candidates in the upcoming provincial election, and hes a local.

Andrew Weaver is most famous as a climate scientist. In 2007, he shared the Nobel Peace Prize alongside Al Gore and fellow members of an Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The University of Victoria professor is considered one of the leading, and most-outspoken, experts on global warming.

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He was also born and raised in Victoria, went to high school in Oak Bay and graduated from UVic. He lives in Gordon Head with his family. This morning, Weaver announced hes jumping in the political ring and will run for the Green Party in Oak Bay Gordon Head in 2013.

Ive been following whats happening in B.C. and Im concerned about an NDP landslide - that the environment will fall to the wayside, Weaver said Thursday morning. But its not just about the environment -- its about evidence-based decision-making. Ive spent 25 years informing policy as a scientist and now Im hoping to help shape it.

Weaver said he was inspired to join politics in part by Elizabeth May, Saanich-Gulf Islands member of Parliament and the leader of the Green Party of Canada.

I could see how one person could make a difference, he said. Ive never been a member of a political party in my life until last week when I joined the Green Party of B.C. My strongest asset is Im not here to make a career out of politics, Im here to make a difference.

In a press release, Green Party of B.C. Leader Jane Sterk said: I expect Andrew to be the first of a number of high-profile B.C. Green candidates... Greens want intelligent, thoughtful, passionate people who will stand up for their constituents and for change. Quite frankly, I think his candidacy is a game-changer for the 2013 election.

The Oak Bay-Gordon Head riding is held by B.C. Liberal Ida Chong, who was named aboriginal relations minister in a recent cabinet shuffle. Education advocate Jessica Van der Veen will run for the B.C. New Democratic Party.

spetrescu@timescolonist.com

