Traditional Land of Wabanaki People/Fredericton – Today, the Province released its updated climate action plan with commitments to leadership and accountability, reducing greenhouse gases and preparing for the effects of climate change. The Plan outlines 30 actions with timelines and commitments that can be measured and reported on annually. The Conservation Council of New Brunswick (CCNB) welcomes the update and its commitment to increased accountability. Now we need immediate and rapid implementation.
Critical to climate action plan implementation is reaching increasingly stringent greenhouse gas reduction targets so that the province is near zero as quickly as possible. The province needs to rapidly launch processes to develop, no later than 2025, a blueprint for a net-zero province, as well as a clean electricity strategy. The net zero blueprint and clean electricity strategy should ensure integrated and efficient delivery of all climate commitments, including targets for electric vehicle sales, energy efficiency targets, phasing out the use of oil for home heating, rapid adoption of building code updates, and carbon neutral government, including the purchase of EV vehicles like school buses.
“We cannot delay,” says Louise Comeau, CCNB’s Director of Climate Change and Energy Solutions. “The goal should be to deliver ahead of 2025 so energy legislation can be updated and energy efficiency targets set in line with implementing a net zero blueprint and clean electricity strategy for the province.”
Climate change is already affecting the health and well-being of New Brunswickers. The climate plan update commits to a provincial risk assessment and statement of provincial interest, which are essential to developing a coherent approach to managing the risks of increasingly extreme weather.
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For more information, or an interview, contact:
Louise Comeau, Director Climate Change and Energy Solutions, louise.comeau@conservationcouncil.ca; 506 238 0355