Click For Clean Air

Read archived news releases relevant to British Columbia from the David Suzuki Foundation.

May 21, 2003
BC Hydro quietly abandons plans to reduce greenhouse gases

March 12, 2003
BC Hydro gas project bad environmental choice

Feb 18, 2003
B.C. budget fails to address climate change

Jan 20, 2003
B.C. quietly releases coal regulation, will lead to more pollution

Nov 25, 2002
B.C. energy plan worsens climate change, air pollution, says Suzuki Foundation

Oct 11, 2002
B.C. Hydro gas projects need independent review
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Throughout British Columbia and the  Pacific Northwest, companies, governments and individuals are taking action to address climate change. They’re learning that energy conservation and efficiency save money and create new industries and jobs.

Mole Hill housing project: The non-profit housing project included preserving heritage housing slated for demolition while incorporating new technologies such  as ground source heating. Vancouver’s Mole Hill homes use the natural heating and cooling ability of the earth. The process involves burying a series of pipes in the ground. Water or antifreeze flows through the pipes, absorbing heat from the earth. The warm  liquid is piped to a heat pump in the home and releases warm air. In the summer, the process is reversed with the system pulling heat out of the building and distributing it back into the earth. Although it requires electricity, geothermal  heating is very efficient. For every watt of electricity used, the system provides three to four watts of heating or cooling power. That reduces  operating costs by 50 to 75 per cent over conventional systems.

Alberni School District: Comprehensive energy retrofits and lighting overhauls were performed on 20 buildings from 1996 to 1998. As a result, the  annual electricity use was reduced by 40 per cent with annual savings of more than $3 million.

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The cost of climate change, air pollution and public health impacts must be considered in forming energy policies and in evaluating new energy  projects. B.C. needs to develop and implement policies that reduce energy demand, save consumers money and reduce emissions of greenhouse gases and other harmful pollutants.

Find out what you can do to help make a difference!

The following recommendations from the David Suzuki Foundation’s submission to the B.C. Energy Policy Task Force provide the foundation for an energy policy that would deliver province-wide economic and environmental benefits.

Regularly review and update standards for major appliances and industrial equipment

* Provincial governments are responsible for regulating the efficiency of approximately 25 per cent of the appliances in Canada. Updated standards remove the disadvantage against innovation and technological improvement and encourage constant upgrading, thereby cutting energy waste and the costs of that waste.

Improve the energy efficiency of residential and commercial buildings
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Snow-capped mountains, rivers teeming with wild salmon, spectacular valleys and lush forests are among the defining features of British Columbia and the Pacific Northwest. But the health of this unique region is threatened by global warming. Warmer, drier winters mean lighter snowpacks in the mountains. Less snow means less runoff to the rivers that depend on melting mountain snow. Warmer streams with less water affect the spawning and migration of salmon. Warmer temperatures also mean forests are drying out, becoming more vulnerable to fires and disease outbreaks.

Climate change threatens not just the Pacific Northwest environment but its economy and quality of life too. Now that Canada has ratified the Kyoto Protocol on global warming, British Columbia has a responsibility to meet the challenges of climate change, air pollution and sensible energy choices.

The province can make clean, renewable energy and energy efficiency its policy cornerstones – key elements to cut pollution, bring energy price stability and stimulate new jobs.

Learn more:

Impacts: Climate change impacts in B.C.

Energy: B.C.’s energy and climate policies

Oil: Offshore oil and gas: Issues and impacts

Solutions: Climate solutions and benefits for the Northwest

News releases: B.C./Northwest news releases

Links: B.C./Northwest climate and energy links

Dry lake bed, Okanagan
Valley, British Columbia