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| Backgrounder(s) & FactSheet(s): | Backgrounder |
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| Backgrounder(s) & FactSheet(s): | Backgrounder |
VICTORIA
– More than 100 local governments are
now signed on to the B.C. Climate Action Charter with the Province and the
Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM), committing to become carbon neutral by 2012,
announced Community Services Minister Ida Chong today.
“The B.C. Climate
Action Charter is an extraordinary agreement that strives to find the best
made-in-B.C. solutions to the increasingly important issue of climate change,”
said Chong. “It gives me great pleasure
to see that, to date, 106 local governments are committed to this timely and
sensitive matter. I know other local governments will be joining this important
initiative over the coming months.”
Local
governments that sign the B.C. Climate Action Charter pledge to become carbon
neutral, and measure and report on their community’s greenhouse gas emissions
profile, and work to create compact, more energy efficient communities.
Local governments can achieve carbon neutrality by reducing emissions,
by purchasing carbon offsets to compensate for their
greenhouse gas emissions or by developing projects
to offset emissions. Such projects may include improving the energy efficiency
of local government-owned and operated buildings and vehicle fleets.
“Municipalities and regional districts across the province are taking up
the challenge to address climate change in ways that are meaningful for them,”
said Chong. “Together, they are working side by side, under the B.C. Climate
Action Charter, in an effort to make greater differences in their communities.”
The B.C. Climate Action
Charter was introduced in September at the 2007 UBCM Convention, where 62 local
government representatives presented Premier Gordon Campbell with signed charter
agreements.
Local governments that
signed the B.C. Climate Action Charter are working with UBCM and the provincial
government on a Joint Provincial-UBCM Green Communities Committee and Green
Communities Working Groups. The groups focus on urban and rural strategies that
support local governments in taking actions to make their own operations carbon
neutral by 2012 and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
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contact: |
Ministry of Community Services 250 387-4089 |
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For more information on government services or to subscribe to the Province’s news feeds using RSS, visit the Province’s website at www.gov.bc.ca. |
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