The New Brunswick government has released its renewed climate change action plan.
Our Pathway Towards Decarbonization and Climate Resilience features three pillars: government leadership and accountability, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and preparing for climate change.
Under those pillars are 30 action items, many of which the government has committed to delivering on over the next two years.
Among the items contained in the plan are setting clear electricity efficiency performance targets and reporting requirements for NB Power.
It also commits to having 50 per cent of new light-duty vehicle sales be electric vehicles by 2030 and developing a net-zero blueprint and clean electricity strategy by 2025.
“While we have accomplished a lot with our previous climate change plans, it is clear we need to do more,” Environment and Climate Change Minister Gary Crossman said in a news release.
“We are already experiencing the effects of climate change and we need to act now.”
Crossman said the government has committed to reaching net zero – removing as much carbon from the atmosphere as is emitted – by 2050.
The Conservation Council of New Brunswick said it welcomes the increased commitment to accountability in the plan.
But Louise Comeau, director of climate change and energy solutions, said fully implementing all 30 action items in the plan will be essential.
“The goal should be to deliver ahead of 2025 so energy legislation can be updated and energy efficiency targets set in line with implementing a net zero blueprint and clean electricity strategy for the province,” Comeau said in a news release.
In its news release, the government is committed to delivering on 14 of the 30 action in the plan over the next two years.
The remaining 16 actions will take longer than that, it said, such as assessing the carbon stock of forests and wetlands and training tradespeople in skills related to energy-efficient buildings.
The Climate Change Act requires that New Brunswick’s Climate Change Action Plan be reviewed every five years.
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