Local Action More than 120 British Columbia local governments have to date enacted community climate action plans or Community Climate Action Plans (CCAPs), which outline actions they can take, or are taking, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Local governments have varying degrees of influence over different sources of emissions within their boundaries, as shown below.
If local governments are to succeed, they will need leadership and/or support from other orders of government, as well as commitments from residents and businesses. Further, the outputs of this Plan and the targets/actions prioritized for implementation will need to be embedded into relevant policy, operational, budgetary and asset management plans or strategies. Communities and regional districts play an important role in climate mitigation and adaptation. Almost every British Columbia local government has committed to some degree of action under the B.C. Climate Action Charter. Across Canada, local and regional governments directly and indirectly influence approximately 60 per cent of the nation’s overall energy use and 50 per cent of its GHG emissions.
Residents and Businesses Residents and businesses also have an important role in climate action, such as individual choices on where to live, how to heat or cool, how to travel, how to handle household waste, preparing for extreme events such as extreme heat, making landscaping choices that affect the urban tree canopy and are wildfire smart, and being careful with water use. Meanwhile, businesses’ decisions regarding their current operations and future plans as well as factors such as leadership and innovation also impact community-based emissions and affect a community’s resilience to a changing climate. Residential and business decisions are shaped by other levels of government, including local government, creating an opportunity for governments to influence those choices in a way that addresses environmental issues and climate action. Penticton CCAP
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