Opinion: Metro Vancouver's climate action cuts would hurt business | Daily Hive

Opinion: Metro Vancouver Regional District's climate action cuts would be bad for business

Headquarters office of Metro Vancouver Regional District. (Kenneth Chan)

Written for Daily Hive Urbanized by former Vancouver Coastal Health CEO Mary Ackenhusen, New/Mode co-founder and CEO Steve Anderson, Lanefab Design/Build co-owner Bryn Davidson, Chef/Cookbook author & Vij’s & Lila Restaurants co-founder Meeru Dhalwala, Earnest Ice Cream co-founder and co-CEO Benjamin Ernst, Affine Climate Solutions Executive Director Michaela Neuberger, and Junxion Strategy Partner and & CEO Mike Rowlands, on behalf of over 100 business leaders across Metro Vancouver.

As business leaders representing a wide range of sectors across Metro Vancouver and beyond, we are proud to live in a region that’s recognized globally for its commitment to sustainability and forward-thinking policies. This is why we can’t be silent when climate action is on the chopping block at the Metro Vancouver Regional District. Particularly now, as climatic institutions get dismantled around us.

Last month, we were relieved to see the regional district’s board of directors vote to continue with its role in regional climate coordination. Businesses depend on a consistent regulatory environment for confidence and investment in our economy, and we’re glad to see the board in favour of continuing its good work to reduce carbon pollution across the region.

That being said, we understand that there are still active conversations in front of the board about cutting funding for significant streams of its climate work.

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While we support efforts to find operational efficiencies, some services are too important to cut — particularly action against climate change. Failing to properly fund the regional district’s climate action would be bad for public health, bad for our growing clean energy and innovation economy, and bad for business.

Our businesses have thrived in a region that has prioritized protecting green space, expanding public transportation, cutting the climate pollution from buildings, and investing in low-carbon technologies.

We have collectively invested in building a future that aligns with these values. We know that sustainability is not only good for the planet but also for the economy.

The regional district’s Climate 2050 commitments are an important part of this progress — not only have they helped make our region one of the most livable in the world, but they signal to the business community that our region is ready to invest in low-carbon innovation.

A sudden reduction in capacity to meet these commitments would be a huge blow to the reputation of our region, in particular because the residents of Metro Vancouver consistently rate climate action as their third priority, after the economy and housing. This is why we are calling on the the regional district’s board to not only continue this good work, but sufficiently resource it as a core service and ensure that the regional district’s staff are directed to work with businesses in the region on implementation.

As part of its mandate to plan for the region of Metro Vancouver, the regional district has a unique authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions that impact air quality, including from buildings, transportation, and industry.

In addition, Metro Vancouver Regional District, along with 26 other regional districts, have signed on to the B.C. Climate Action Charter — a commitment to work with the provincial government and other local governments to be climate leaders. This means there’s a commitment along with a responsibility to use its power to tackle these major sources of regional emissions, while making buildings and transportation systems safer, healthier, and more resilient for residents.

The regional district’s board has historically identified leading the fight against climate change as a key priority. Now, at a moment in time when the cost of climate-driven disasters is rising year on year, is not the time to abandon that commitment. It’s more clear than ever that investing in climate action is cost-effective in the long run and saves residents, businesses, and local governments money.

Climate leadership in this region matters. Taken together, Metro Vancouver’s member communities contribute one-quarter of the province’s overall greenhouse gas emissions — more than the province’s oil and gas, manufacturing, and mining sectors combined.

Individual local governments do not have the resources or jurisdiction to regulate air quality nor the resources to effectively coordinate regulations across the region to create a more business-friendly environment. It’s the regional district alone that can fill this critical gap in our region’s collective response to climate change, while bringing benefits for residents and local economies.

It is essential that the region remains committed to its long-term climate goals and does not allow short-term pressure to derail the progress we have made together.

We need to see the regional district’s capacity to coordinate regional climate action maintained and fully funded. The regional district must continue to regulate greenhouse gas emissions, and provide regulatory stability that will, in turn, help enable businesses to make possible many of the ambitions of the Climate 2050 plan.

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