We are the Okanagan Climate Hub, a volunteer-led organization dedicated to bringing together individuals, youth, and organizations throughout the Okanagan region to take effective, cooperative action on climate change. Here, we share our clear and straightforward perspectives on the CleanBC climate plan and why we believe stronger action is needed.
We are deeply concerned about British Columbia’s ongoing support for fossil fuel production and consumption. The oil and gas sector is the largest driver of greenhouse gas emissions in our province, and emissions from liquefied natural gas (LNG) and upstream shale gas are projected to double by 2050 if current trends aren’t changed. Methane emissions, which are 84 times more potent than carbon dioxide over a 20-year period, are particularly alarming.
Despite BC being known for environmental leadership, our government continues to provide substantial subsidies and incentives to the fossil fuel industry, including tax exemptions, royalty reductions, and other financial supports that add up to more than $1.3 billion. These subsidies reduce the resources available for public services and investments in renewable energy, which sets back our climate goals.
We take issue with FortisBC’s plan for Renewable Natural Gas (RNG). BC’s own studies, including work with the province and FortisBC, have shown that we can only produce a small fraction of the RNG required to fully decarbonize existing gas consumption. The rest would need to be hydrogen—which is expensive, technically incompatible with our current gas systems, and not a practical solution. While other regions are restricting new gas connections in buildings, BC is letting the gas system continue to expand, blocking credible progress toward full electrification.
On building efficiency, we believe BC should have required the energy step code for all communities, making electric-only codes mandatory. Allowing voluntary compliance has meant that too many homes remain inefficient and reliant on fracked gas for heating. These delays have wasted precious time and resources, and now, cities like Kelowna are facing both a growing demand for LNG and bottlenecks in electricity infrastructure because we have not invested early enough.
When it comes to electrification, we see a lack of clear leadership from the province. Although securing new energy supplies is welcome, we lack a clear strategy to help utilities and customers transition away from gas to electric systems. Without this, it’s hard to see how we’ll achieve our climate and economic goals.
With BC’s hydrogen strategy, we see a disconnect: hydrogen should be used close to where it’s produced. Using it for space heating or blending into natural gas is not effective and doesn’t make sense for our needs. We believe hydrogen infrastructure needs to be aligned with sectors that actually need it, like shipping or heavy industry.
Rebates for electric vehicles and heat pumps help, but as people living and working in BC, we know many low-income residents simply can’t afford these technologies. The cost barrier remains too high, preventing those who need them most from switching to cleaner heating or transportation.
On transportation, we welcomed BC’s targets for shifting travel modes, but we still have no plan or requirement for cities to achieve these shifts in order to unlock provincial funding. We’ve missed the opportunity to coordinate transportation and housing policy, and as a result, cities—especially those outside the Lower Mainland—remain locked into car dependency and high transportation expenses.
We are frustrated that government subsidies for LNG continue. These investments undermine our province’s renewable energy targets and delay the scaling up of proven solutions. Recent satellite evidence shows that methane leakage from LNG operations is even higher than industry admits, possibly making LNG a worse climate offender than coal. Claims that LNG is a “cleaner” alternative have been debunked, and with the global market saturated, we risk wasting money on projects that will become obsolete.
We urge the government of British Columbia to:
Now is the moment for bold, decisive leadership. Together, we can build a more sustainable economy, one where climate action is central to every government decision. The technologies and solutions we need already exist; all that’s missing is our collective will to make them happen.
As part of the nationwide Climate Hub network, the Okanagan Climate Hub is a volunteer-led, non-profit organization that unites individuals, youth leaders, and organizations throughout the Okanagan for effective, cooperative action on climate change.
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