Planning for Climate Action in British Columbia, Canada: Putting Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Mitigation on Local Government Agendas

Tara Moreau,Kent Mullinix,Jennie Moore

doi:10.5304/jafscd.2012.022.008

Abstract

Significant greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions from all sectors of human enterprise are necessary to avoid further effects and reduce the current effects of climate change. Agriculture and the global food system are estimated to contribute to one-third of all anthropogenic GHGs. In British Columbia, Canada, mandated GHG reduction targets and voluntary climate action programs are challenging local governments to include emission reduction targets, policies, and actions within official planning documents. At this early stage of GHG reductions, local government attention does not yet include agriculture but is directed toward the transportation, buildings, and waste management sectors. Given agriculture's contribution to GHG emissions and local government's engagement with GHG mitigation and food system planning, it seems reasonable to anticipate that over time, local governments should and will engage increasingly in reducing GHGs from agriculture. With the goal of advancing agriculture GHG mitigation by local governments, this paper reviews the jurisdictional powers governing agriculture and climate change within British Columbia. It examines how local governments can support mitigation within the sector through their roles in planning, policy, programming, and public engagement, and identifies potential research agenda items.

Highlights

IntroductionClimate change poses a significant challenge to humanity and will require definitive action by Volume 2, Issue 2 / Winter 2011–2012
Climate change poses a significant challenge to humanity and will require definitive action by Volume 2, Issue 2 / Winter 2011–2012society for profound, transformative change
With the goal of raising awareness of the necessity for agriculture mitigation planning by local governments and to increase knowledge of those engaged in local/regional food system planning, we provide an overview of the jurisdictional powers governing agriculture and climate change within British Columbia and provide detailed attention to the role that local governments can have in creating local initiatives designed to mitigate greenhouse gas (GHG) within the province’s agricultural sector

Summary

Introduction

Climate change poses a significant challenge to humanity and will require definitive action by Volume 2, Issue 2 / Winter 2011–2012. Agricultural planning at the local level is expected to confer numerous benefits, which include reducing urban/rural conflict through stakeholder engagement; improving local farming economic activity; supporting consistency within federal and provincial policies; stimulating new thinking and changing attitudes of stakeholders involved with the planning process; enabling agricultural planning integration into larger community plans; providing support language and knowledge to assist local government in making land use decisions; and creating a methodology for dealing with issues that arise (Connell & Sturgeon, 2011; Nowlan et al, 2001). The Climate Action Charter requires that local governments measure their organizational emissions, reduce GHG emissions and energy use, and offset remaining operational emissions to achieve a net zero This program complements the PCP program and follows a similar emission inventory protocol targeting the transportation, buildings, and waste-management sectors. Hosting public gatherings or events that support low GHG agriculture or building links between urban food activists and commercial producers are other actions that local governments can take toward climate action

Findings

Discussion and Conclusion

Conclusions