In 2008, B.C. became a global leader in climate action. The province developed a bold climate action plan to meet ambitious targets, guided by experts. It was grounded in science, based on reliable evidence and included a suite of measures that were predicted to take B.C. well over halfway to meeting its targets.

Under Christy Clark’s B.C. Liberal government, B.C. has moved backwards. Of Canada’s four most populous provinces, only B.C. is projected to increase its emissions by 2030. The Clark government has frozen the price of carbon, ignored the recommendations of their own Climate Leadership Team and left the cleantech sector out to dry with no support. They have invested heavily in LNG and approved oil pipelines, hinging B.C.’s economic future on the sunset industry of fossil fuels.

British Columbians have been left without much credible opposition on the climate front. In 2009, the B.C. NDP ran on “axe the tax,” and they support new fossil fuel projects like LNG. In 2017, their climate plan only commits to doing what is required by the federal government, and does not include a concrete plan for achieving their targets for 2030.

Climate change is not just an environmental issue. Acting on climate is about positioning B.C. to succeed in the emerging economy of the future and the world that we will leave for our children.

We have a moral imperative to leave the world better off than we found it. If we don’t, future generations will ask why B.C., one of the places that had the most opportunity to be a leader on climate change, refused to act.