Editor:
There was good news last week at the Sunshine Coast Regional District. On Monday, June 3, the directors, meeting as a committee of the whole, unanimously endorsed the Community Climate Action Plan, which has been developed by SCRD staff under the leadership of Raph Shay, the Manager of Sustainable Development.
The plan is a complex and comprehensive road map for dealing with the climate crisis in our community with 15 goals, 25 actions, and 58 supporting actions that (from the report) “build upon the existing actions taken by the SCRD to address climate change and allow the SCRD to proactively identify opportunities for action that advance the community towards low carbon resilience.” The actions cover both adaptation to the harsh realities of climate change, and mitigation of further climate damage.
The Vision Statement of the plan states, “By 2050, the Sunshine Coast has eliminated its carbon pollution and is a resilient, thriving community, where climate action has improved the quality of life for all people and ecosystems flourish.” And the guiding principles include social equity, recognizing that “climate change impacts people differently based on factors such as their age, income and health,” and reconciliation, taking inspiration from the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
The CCAP is a far-reaching document with ambitious goals. It’s good to make a start. When the unanimous vote was announced there was sustained and happy applause from the public in the audience, most of them people who’ve been working on climate issues in the community for some time.
Also I would add thanks to Dr. Moliehi Khaketla, Medical Health Officer, Vancouver Community Health, for presenting to the SCRD Board their concerns around the health impacts of climate change.
Jane Covernton, Roberts Creek
