40 B.C. businesses launch clean energy coalition to act on climate change

Forty business leaders across B.C. are calling on Premier John Horgan to keep climate change a priority.

In an open letter released Thursday, CEOs, directors and managers of some of the province’s largest companies urged Horgan to create further incentives for companies to lower their carbon footprint and help fund small business owners interested in lowering theirs.

“For all businesses, climate change is a risk to the bottom line,” the letter reads. “However, it’s also a once-in-a-generation opportunity for B.C. to create jobs, encourage innovation, build healthy and safe communities, and reduce waste.”

The letter coincides with the launch of the Business Coalition for a Clean Economy, which includes support from Hootsuite, Vancity and Bulkley Valley Brewery. The group is supported by the environmental think-tank Pembina Institute.

The goal, according to the coalition, is to get businesses to band together to promote and use clean energy.

“Climate change is both a challenge and an opportunity for B.C. Now more than ever, we need the B.C. government to demonstrate bold, sustained leadership by prioritizing investments in the clean future,” the letter concludes.

B.C.’s climate plan, introduced last December, is slated to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 40 per cent by 2030, 60 per cent by 2040, and 80 per cent by 2050.

By 2040, all new cars and trucks sold in the province will be zero-emission and new buildings will be 80-per-cent more efficient.

The Better Buildings program, announced in April, offers thousands of dollars in rebates and incentives to entice the switch to high-efficiency heating equipment and improve building envelopes, which include walls, windows, roofs and foundations.

To view the letter, and full list of participants, click here.