The Gallant government has released its climate change action plan which includes such things as phasing out coal, a price on carbon and caps on greenhouse gas emissions and putting in place a cabinet committee on climate change chaired by the premier.
This plan, called Transitioning To A Low Carbon Economy, is the result of recommendations from the select committee on climate change after touring the province earlier this year and issued a total of 85 recommendations.
In the report, Environment Minister Serge Rousselle says that “New Brunswick’s emissions are projected to increase during the next 15 years” and that “it has become increasingly clear that the cost of inaction is greater than the cost of action, particularly early action.”
Louise Comeau is the director of climate change and energy solutions with the Conservation Council of New Brunswick. She says they’re pleased because they’ve learned over the years if you don’t have certain things in a climate plan it won’t really have any effect.
“What we’re been calling for is a plan that has the right governance structure, so, led by the premier, has it having a cabinet committee and the legislative review and that we have legisation so that our targets and committments are law and they’re enforced — we got that today,” says Comeau
Comeau says they’ve also been calling for funding to be directed to job creation in the new clean energy economy and to ensure help for the transition and they got that.
