B.C.'s Climate Action Team unveiled by premier | News

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B.C.'s Climate Action Team unveiled by premier

Vancouver Sun
Published: Tuesday, November 20, 2007

The B.C. government has assembled some of the province's best minds to join B.C.'s Climate Action Team, Premier Gordon Campbell announced in a press release Tuesday. They include some of the province's top scientists.

"I'm very pleased with the calibre of people who have agreed to help the government to aggressively reduce British Columbia's greenhouse gas emissions by 33 per cent by 2020," said Campbell in the release. "The Climate Action Team is an important group of talented and experienced people who will offer expert advice to the Committee on Climate Action on the most credible, aggressive and economically viable targets possible for 2012 and 2016."

The team's recommendations will be put out for public comment. The team will have until July 31, 2008 to do its work.

The Climate Action Team has 22 members and one special advisor and will be chaired by Cheryl Slusarchuk, president of the Premier's Technology Council, the release said.

Team member Dr. Andrew Weaver was part of the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) that was recently awarded the Nobel Peace Prize along with former U.S. vice-president Al Gore for their efforts to build up and disseminate greater knowledge about man-made climate change.

"We can find solutions to address climate change if governments, business, the scientific and environmental communities and First Nations come together to support constructive actions," Weaver said in the release.

B.C. plans to reduce B.C.'s emissions by 24 to 33 million tonnes - anywhere from 60 to 82 per cent towards the target of a 33 per cent reduction by 2020, the release said.

Dr. Mark Jaccard of Simon Fraser University has agreed to act as special advisor to the Climate Action Team and the Cabinet Committee on Climate Action to help identify policies to meet the GHG reduction target. Jaccard is an internationally respected expert in greenhouse gas emission reduction policy, serving with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and more recently as lead author for policy on the World Energy Assessment.

The other members of the team are:

. Shawn Atleo, BC Regional Chief for Assembly of First Nations (West Vancouver)

. Donna Barnett, mayor, District of 100 Mile House

. Lyn Brown, vice-president, Catalyst Paper (Richmond)

. Jeff Burghardt, president, Prince Rupert Grain Ltd. (Prince Rupert)

. Teresa Coady, architect, Bunting Coady Architects (Vancouver)

. Naomi Devine, Common Energy, (Victoria)

. Dr. David Keith, Earth Sciences, University of Calgary (Calgary)

. Randy McLeod, president, BP CanadaEnergy Co. (Calgary)

. Dr. John Robinson, Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability, UBC (Vancouver)

. Peter Robinson, CEO, Mountain Equipment and future CEO, David Suzuki Foundation, beginning January 2008 (Vancouver)

. Ian Tostenson, president, BC Restaurant and Foodservices Association (Vancouver)

. Mossadiq Umedaly, chairman, Xantrex Technology Inc. (Vancouver)

. Joe Van Belleghem, partner, Three Point Properties (Victoria)

. John Walker, president/CEO, FortisBC (Kelowna)

. Dr. Andrew Weaver, School of Earth and Ocean Sciences UVic (Victoria)

Ex-Officio Members include:

. Dr. Ken Denman, Canadian Center for Climate Modelling and Analysis, UVic (Victoria)

. Dr. Greg Flato, Canadian Centre for Climate Modelling and Analysis, UVic (Victoria)

. Dr. John Fyfe, Canadian Centre for Climate Modelling and Analysis, UVic (Victoria)

. Dr. Werner Kurz, Pacific Forestry Center (Victoria)

. Dr. Terry Prowse, Department of Geography, UVic (Victoria)

. Dr. Frederick Wrona, Department of Geography, UVic (Victoria)

Special Advisor:

* Dr. Mark Jaccard, School of Resource & Environmental Management, SFU (Vancouver).