VICTORIA, B.C. – Andrew Weaver, leader of the B.C. Green Party, released the following statement on the Auditor General’s report, Managing Climate Change Risks: An Independent Audit.

“The Auditor General’s finding that the government is not adequately managing the risks posed by climate change is extremely serious and deserve our immediate attention,” said Weaver.

“The unfortunate trend of politicians making grand statements about the importance of climate action and then doing nothing to meet our targets must end. In 2008 we were world leaders in climate action. The previous B.C. Liberal government not only failed to build on the Climate Action Plan, but dismantled the elements of the plan that were already in place. Now, the Auditor General has found that the government has done little to address the effects of climate change that are already underway.

“The risks of inaction to our province are enormous. Climate change has unique ramifications for each of B.C.’s precious ecosystems. We need to be honest with British Columbians: do our targets mean anything? If we truly care about the impacts of climate change on the next generation, we must follow our words with decisive action.

“Through our inaction we risk following behind greater global economic trends. In this minority government, we have an opportunity to make climate leadership a foundational accomplishment that drives our vision for the future of the province. We need a diversified, sustainable 21st century economy – one that will serve today’s generation without burdening generations to come. Other jurisdictions worldwide are reaping the economic rewards of the explosive growth in renewable energy. B.C. has everything we need to be a leader cleantech - just today it was announced that B.C. will receive a portion of federal supercluster funding. It’s time to stop chasing the sunset industries of yesterday and embrace these exciting opportunities.”

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