Greenhouse Gas Reduction Targets Act - A Primer

Walkingthetalk Primer
Greenhouse Gas Reduction Targets Act (Bill 44)

This primer is here to help you, as a administrator, staff member or student of a K-12 school or post-secondary institution, to understand BC’s legislation on greenhouse gas emissions, the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Targets Act (also know as Bill 44). The questions and answers below are intended to paint you a clear picture of this act and how it affects your educational institution.

What is the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Targets Act?

British Columbia’s Greenhouse Gas Reduction Targets Act (GGRTA) is the first of its kind in any North American jurisdiction to target greenhouse gas emissions in public sector organizations and sets a progressive path to find solutions to climate change. Legislated in 2007 by the Province of British Columbia, the GGRTA requires all of BC’s public sector organizations (PSOs) by law to be carbon neutral by 2010 – this includes all BC school districts and post-secondary institutions. The GGRTA sets aggressive targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs). By 2020, BC’s GHGs must be at least 33 per cent below 2007 levels. The act also sets a target of an 80 per cent GHG reduction below 2007 levels by 2050.

The GGTRA has huge potential to educate and engage BC residents in climate change solutions: for example, 1 in 6 people work in BC's public sector, BC's student population in the K-12 sector totaled over 650,000 in the 2006/07 school year and a post-secondary institutions saw a record enrollment of  430,000 in 2008. That’s a lot of people attending or working in institutions that will be striving to reduce their environmental footprint and create a more sustainable future.

What is a greenhouse gas?

Greenhouse gases are both natural and human made. Natural greenhouse gases play an important role in preventing the Earth’s heat from escaping into space. The David Suzuki Foundation states that natural GHG levels in our atmosphere, like carbon dioxide, help to keep Earth warm, just like glass does in a typical greenhouse.

However, the majority of today’s scientists agree that human activity over the past century has increased the amount of greenhouse gases in the Earth’s atmosphere. Human made gases such as carbon dioxide (emitted from burning fossil fuels for energy or transportation), methane (emitted from cattle farming, landfills and the burning of fossil fuels) and nitrous oxide (released from chemical fertilizer and burning of fossil fuels) have greatly increased the amount of gases in the atmosphere and contribute to climate change.

What is the BC Climate Action Plan? What kind of future does it paint for BC?

BC’s Climate Action Plan outlines strategies and initiatives to reach the set target of reducing GHG emissions 33% below 2007 levels by 2020. The Climate Action Plan looks to a low-carbon economy and notes that addressing climate change will lead to many opportunities including cleaner air, water and energy, less waste, innovation, economic growth, job creation, sustainable communities and leading edge technologies.

How will the GGRTA affect public sector organizations in BC?

The GGRTA requires public sector organizations (school districts, colleges, universities, health authorities, government ministries and agencies and Crown corporations) to become carbon neutral by 2010.

What does a ‘carbon neutral’ public sector mean?

Carbon neutrality in the GGRTA does not mean that your school district or post-secondary institution has to achieve zero greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs). Instead, they must achieve net zero GHGs.

To achieve net zero GHGs, public sector organizations must:

• Step #1: Report on their GHG emissions as a baseline each calendar year;
• Step #2: Reduce emissions as much as possible, both through operational and behavioural changes each calendar year;
• Step #3: Offset remaining GHG emissions by end of June the following year to achieve net zero emissions.

Every public sector organization must also submit progress reports on even numbered years starting in 2008. These reports will include: emissions levels, actions taken to reduce these levels and next steps for further reducing GHG emissions.

What are offsets and how will my school or post-secondary institution reduce their GHG emissions through offsetting?

Carbon offsets are financial investments in projects that prevent GHG emissions from being released in the atmosphere and are the last step in reducing your school's remaining GHGs to net zero. Examples of carbon offsets include investing in renewable energy projects or energy efficient technologies.

In the case of B.C.’s GGRTA, your school, college or university must first take steps to measure and reduce greenhouse gas emissions and offset the remainder in order to achieve carbon neutrality. The Pacific Carbon Trust, B.C.’s newest crown corporation, is mandated to provide quality offsets to help BC’s public organizations meet GHG reduction targets.

How can my institution calculate and track greenhouse gas emissions?

School districts and post-secondary institutions can measure and track their GHG emissions using SMARTTOOL. Developed by the Province of BC, SMARTTOOL helps to establish emission reduction targets, track GHG reduction progress and calculate expected offset purchase requirements.

British Columbia Provincial Greenhouse Gas Inventory Report 2007

The B.C. GHG inventory report has been prepared by the Ministry of Environment, working with staff in other provincial ministries and with federal counterparts, to determine and report the 2007 GHG emissions level for B.C. The year 2007 was established under the provincial Greenhouse Gas Reductions Target Act as the base year for calculation of GHG emissions targets. The Act puts into law British Columbia’s target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) by at least 33 per cent below 2007 levels by 2020 and includes the long-term target of an 80 per cent reduction below 2007 levels by 2050.