Victoria, June 30, 2011 - British Columbia has
become the first carbon neutral senior government in North America,
an achievement that puts B.C. on the leading edge of climate action
and the new green economy.
This commitment - enshrined in the Greenhouse Gas Reduction
Targets Act - applies to all provincial public sector operations,
including government ministries and agencies, schools, colleges,
universities, health authorities and Crown corporations.
As part of this commitment, these organizations have:
- Measured their greenhouse gas emissions;
- Reduced these emissions as much as possible;
- Offset the remaining emissions by investing in projects that
reduce greenhouse gas emissions, so the net effect of government
activities is carbon neutral; and
- Reported out publicly on plans and actions to reduce
emissions.
To kick-start carbon-neutral efforts, B.C. launched a
$75-million public-sector energy conservation capital fund in
2008.
It has funded 247 energy projects in schools,
hospitals, colleges, universities and other government buildings
across the province. Once complete, those projects are expected to
reduce carbon output by 36,500 tonnes, create 500 jobs and save
organizations about $12.6 million in annual energy costs.
"From this point forward, every government
building in our province will be carbon neutral, and that is
spurring innovation in our growing clean-energy and clean-tech
sectors and that's helping create jobs for British Columbians,"
said Environment Minister Terry Lake.
B.C.'s carbon-neutral
regulation requires all public-sector organizations to measure,
reduce and offset greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions from buildings,
vehicle fleets and paper use.
Provincial public-sector operations spent
$18.2 million to offset 730,000 tonnes of GHGs in 2010, well within
targets set when the carbon-neutral regulation was introduced in
2007.
Carbon Neutral B.C.: Transforming the
Public Sector
Operating a carbon-neutral public sector is a
key part of B.C.'s commitment to reduce GHG emissions by 33 per
cent by 2020. The 730,000 tonnes offset by the public sector is
equivalent to the annual energy use of 62,000 homes a year.
It includes emissions from more than 7,000
buildings, paper use, and vehicle fleets with the exception of
school and transit buses, which are exempt. Government ministries
also offset emissions from business travel.
The 2010 emissions data will help improve
sector-wide energy management in future years.
More than just the
numbers
B.C. public-sector operations contribute only
one per cent of all GHGs generated in the province but the sector
has a big reach in terms of opportunity to inspire change in the
nearly two million British Columbians who work, learn in, or visit
public sector buildings. See Helping schools and hospitals become carbon
neutral
School districts invested $4.4 million to
offset emissions in 2010 while receiving five times that amount for
energy conservation projects and carbon tax reimbursements since
2008.
Health authorities invested $5.4 million to
offset 2010 emissions and received more than $25 million to improve
energy efficiency in existing facilities.
When these projects are complete, health
authorities estimate that operating costs could decrease by as much
as $5 to $6 million annually.
Where does the offset money
go?
B.C.'s public sector buys emissions
offsets from Pacific Carbon Trust. View 2010 Carbon Neutral Government Offset
Portfolio
These investments in turn, helps fund
GHG-reduction projects elsewhere in B.C. To qualify for offset
financing, projects must go beyond business-as-usual practices and
demonstrate emissions reductions that are real, permanent and
quantifiable.
On
average, the public-sector investment represents five per cent of
the capital investment required to make an offset project happen.
For every dollar PCT invests, an additional $20 in private sector
investment is raised to generate more emissions reductions and
economic activity across the province.
For details, visit pacificcarbontrust.com.
View 2010 Carbon Neutral Action Report