Clark puts possible climate denier in charge of BC climate action

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Published on Tuesday, 29 March 2016 14:45
Written by editor

Premier Christy Clark just appointed a former director of the climate denying, Koch-funded Fraser Institute to draft BC’s Climate Leadership Plan. This appointment is the clearest sign we’ve seen she’s sabotaging BC’s climate leadership.

The public comment period for the BC Climate Plan ends Friday and we need to use this opportunity to make our voices heard. Call on her to remove this latest appointment and start taking climate change seriously.

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In 2008, BC became an international darling for its leadership in fighting climate change, but that’s coming to an end fast. Earlier this week, Premier Clark appointed a former director of the Fraser Institute to create the province's new climate plan.[1]

Yes, you read that right. A former director of a climate-denying, Koch-funded think tank is in charge of drafting BC’s climate plan. This man, Fazil Mihlar, has even gone as far as suggesting school children should watch climate-denying documentaries in schools.[2]

Premier Clark thinks she can get away with this appointment because British Columbians don’t care, but she couldn’t been more wrong. British Columbians have been at the forefront of the climate movement for years and have pushed the government on this in the past. Now, we can do it again.

The government has opened up a public comment period for the climate plan. This is our chance to make our voices heard by Premier Clark, but the comment period ends on Friday.[3] We need to speak out today!

Click here to send a message to Premier Clark calling on her to remove Fazil Mihlar and take BC’s climate leadership seriously.

Last year, the government called on a group of academics, scientists, economists, business people and First Nations to draft recommendations for BC’s climate plan. They came up with 32 recommendations that are a great first step in making BC a climate leader again. [4]

But, for months, Premier Clark has been ignoring these recommendations.[5] Instead, she’s been trying to push her LNG terminals down BC’s throat, just like Stephen Harper tried to push the Enbridge Northern Gateway Pipeline: without consent or consultation.

Now that she’s appointed a possible climate denier to draft this plan, we know she’s trying to sabotage climate action.

The fact is, her policies have made BC a climate failure since 2011. Most of the country’s provinces are expected to lower or flatten their emissions by 2020.[6] Meanwhile, BC’s emissions are expected to grow with no end in sight - especially now that the first of 18 proposed LNG terminals has been approved in Squamish.[7]

But we have an opportunity to make a shift. The government’s public comment period gives us a chance to show our opposition to her appointments and call for a bold climate leadership plan. But we need to send our comments in by Friday.

Send her a message today calling on her to take action on climate and remove climate deniers from her staff.

For years, our communities have been fighting for climate action at a provincial and federal level. Now that we’ve defeated the Harper Conservatives, we have a once in a generation opportunity to make Canada a climate leader.

But Premier Clark’s sabotaging of BC’s climate leadership puts this moment in danger. We can’t afford BC to become another carbon bomb as other provinces do their part to stop runaway climate change.

If we are to solve the climate crisis, we need BC onboard. Call on Premier Clark to take climate change seriously: http://www.leadnow.ca/bc-climate-failure

With hope and respect,
Rodrigo on behalf of the Leadnow.ca team

Sources:

  1. B.C.'s climate leadership in disarray under Premier Christy Clark http://www.nationalobserver.com/2016/02/29/analysis/bcs-climate-leadership-disarray-under-premier-christy-clark
  2. Christy Clark taps ex-Fraser Institute director to create BC's climate change plan http://www.pressprogress.ca/christy_clark_taps_ex_fraser_institute_director_to_create_bc_climate_change_plan
  3. BC Climate Leadership http://engage.gov.bc.ca/climateleadership/
  4. How B.C. premier Christy Clark can avoid “climate laggard” status http://pembina.org/blog/how-b-c-premier-christy-clark-can-avoid-climate-laggard-status
  5. See 1
  6. See 4
  7. Squamish Woodfibre LNG project gets federal environmental approval http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/squamish-woodfibre-lng-environmental-approval-1.3498476

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