BC budget alarmingly short-sighted in the age of climate change
VICTORIA – “This budget is alarmingly short-sighted and
irresponsible,” said Ben West, Healthy Communities Campaigner for the
Wilderness Committee.
“There are no new ideas here, just the outdated
policy emphasis of exploiting BC’s resources with little regard to
living up to the province’s commitments to tackle climate change.”
The 2012 budget includes numerous subsidies to the oil and gas sector
while continuing to drastically underfund environmental oversight.
Spending on highway expansion projects yet again far exceeds allocations
for public transit infrastructure and service while transportation
emissions continue to be the leading source of green house gas emissions
in the province.
The budget also includes an upcoming review of the carbon tax while
the dollars per tonne value remains the same. No new funding or tax
credits are provided for housing retrofits, green building, or the
carbon neutral public sector initiative.
“BC is rapidly losing its reputation as a leader in the global
campaign to address the challenges of climate change," said West.
"Our
greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets have now all but disappeared,
despite the fact that the people of this province still care deeply
about the impacts of climate change already being felt around the
world.”
“How are the people of BC supposed to reduce their emissions if they
don’t have transportation alternatives and they don’t have the help they
need to reduce energy use at home? These kind of initiatives would not
only be the responsible things to do but they are also a great way to
create local jobs,” said West.
“This budget shows no vision for the future of our province. Our
premier’s priority seems to be about protecting corporate profits at the
expense of putting our province’s future and our role in the world at
great risk,” said West.
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For Immediate Release - February 21, 2012
Contact:
Ben West, Healthy Communities Campaigner,
Wilderness Committee - (604) 710 5340
