When people use fossil fuels, like oil for energy or gasoline in a car, we pump more and more carbon dioxide, and other heat-trapping gases, into the atmosphere. These gases build up in the atmosphere and act like a blanket, making our planet warmer. The additional heat humans have added to our atmosphere is causing climate change.

In BC, the transportation sector produces the largest amount of greenhouse gas emissions. This includes the cars, trucks, and motorcycles we drive, and freight transportation. The second largest emissions come from the fossil fuel sector – which includes the production, refining and distribution of oil and gas.

When our atmosphere warms, that heat transfers into our oceans, warming seawater. Warmer seawater expands and takes up more space. This heat is also melting ice sheets and changing water currents. The warmer and increased amount of water is causing rising sea levels. We’ve seen sea level in B.C. already change. The ocean also absorbs heat-trapping gases, like carbon dioxide, too, and this is making the seawater more acidic. With all these changes, marine life in BC is struggling.  

On land, climate change is making our summers drier and hotter and our winters warmer and wetter. Droughts are becoming longer and more extreme – many leading to increased wildfires. Cities, like Vancouver, are witnessing these effects even more – like the recent heat dome. Humidity is increasing, there is more water vapor in the atmosphere, leading to more extreme storms and weather events.  Land temperatures are melting our glaciers and snowpacks are melting quicker leading to more intense flooding. Our communities now have to grapple with more climate emergencies and our local farmers are seeing challenges as more pests, water shortages, extreme weather and seasonal climate patterns are shifting. 

There are many projections of what British Columbia’s climate will look like in the future. Across all of British Columbia in the 2050s, we expect an average warming of 3.2ᴼC and 7% more rain annually. Winters will see more rain and 30% less snow. Climate change will increase risk of heat stress and pose a more intense risk to vulnerable people and communities. There will be an increased risk of flooding, wildfires, more extreme weather, and larger shifts of ecosystems.  Different parts of British Columbia will see different impacts across key climate features: precipitation, temperature, length of growing season, snow, etc.

Explore the key regional projections for 2050: South Coast, West Coast, Skeena, Omineca, Northeast, Cariboo, Thompson Okanagan, and Boundary (Retooling for Climate Change).

Want to see more data? A few great ones to dive into the data and see what projections and impacts might look like for your community are Climate Atlas, Pacific Climate Impacts Consortium – Plan 2 Adapt, Canada’s Changing Climate Report, and Retooling for Climate Change.

A lot is being done, but we still have a lot of work to do together.

BC government has committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions 80% below 2007 by 2050. The government has created climate action and accountability plans – including the CleanBC Roadmap to 2030. They have also developed a BC Climate Action Charter and a suite of support for corporations, community-wide, government, and individuals to get involved. Search the BC Climate Action Toolkit to see how governments or corporations are and could support climate mitigation.  The British Columbia Assembly of First Nations has also developed a climate strategy and action plan to work with provincial and federal governments to tackle the climate emergency.  They also produce a great monthly newsletter showcasing resources, funding opportunities, and communities stories on Climate Change and Water.

Community groups, individuals, companies, governments, and researchers are all coming together to take action and make solutions. Check out our stories to see more of what is happening to mitigate climate change across BC.

• Learn about what is happening in your community and in and around BC.
• Find support within your community and with your friends and family to talk about these issues and help you process your emotions as we are facing these challenges together.
• Do what you can to mitigate your personal greenhouse gas emissions and use your voice to help spark collective change within your community.
• Take measures to adapt to the changes we are facing and help protect your community and the nature around you.
• Help restore our vital ecosystems and natural places so that they are thrive and continue supporting our global climate systems.   

Dr. Kate Moran

Director of NEPTUNE Canada, fellow of the Canadian Society of Senior Engineers, and fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Dr. Kathryn (Kate) Moran joined the University of Victoria in September 2011 as a Professor in the Faculty of Sciences and as Director of NEPTUNE Canada. In 2012, she was promoted to the position of President & CEO, Ocean Networks Canada (oceannetworks.ca). Since then, she has led and grown the organization following the vision of enhancing life on Earth by providing knowledge and leadership that deliver solutions to science, society, and industry.  

Her previous appointment was Professor at the University of Rhode Island with a joint appointment in the Graduate School of Oceanography and the Department of Ocean Engineering. She also served as the Graduate School of Oceanography’s Associate Dean, Research and Administration. From 2009 to 2011, Moran was seconded to the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy where she served as an Assistant Director and focused on Arctic, polar, ocean, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and climate policy issues.  

Moran co-led the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program’s Arctic Coring Expedition, which was the first deepwater drilling operation in the Arctic Ocean. This expedition successfully recovered the first paleoclimate record from the Arctic Ocean. She also led one of the first offshore expeditions to investigate the seafloor following the devastating 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami.

Professor Moran is a registered professional engineer, a fellow of the Canadian Society of Senior Engineers, and was recently selected as an American Association for the Advancement of Science Fellow for the class of 2022.  

She is active in public outreach (through public lectures, national panel discussions, and teacher training) on topics related to the Arctic, ocean technology, and climate change. Moran has testified on climate change and ocean topics to U.S. Senate Committees and Canadian Parliamentary Committees. Moran spearheaded a research initiative on offshore renewable energy that led to the first offshore wind project in the US and, most recently, a climate mitigation solution project in Canada called Solid Carbon (solidcarbon.ca). 

Bob Purdy

Executive Vice President of the Fraser Basin Council (FBC)

Bob Purdy is Executive Vice President of the Fraser Basin Council (FBC), a charitable not-for-profit organization that brings diverse interests together to advance sustainability solutions throughout British Columbia. In addition to his role as a key member of the FBC’s senior executive team, Bob leads several high-impact initiatives, for example, he serves as independent facilitator for the Port of Vancouver ECHO Program, an award-winning voluntary initiative that is reducing underwater noise affecting endangered killer whales in the Salish Sea through large commercial vessel slowdowns and other measures.  He also leads Realizing UNDRIP, an initiative to advance both reconciliation and sustainability and is independent facilitator of Fortis BC’s energy conservation and management external advisory process. Prior to joining FBC in 1999, Bob was Vice President of ESSA Technologies, a provider of GIS-enabled expert systems for environmental assessment.  A UBC graduate with an Honours Bachelor of Science in Zoology, Bob is passionate about restoring public trust in science and strengthening the roles of scientific knowledge, traditional knowledge, and critical thinking in decision-making.  An avid skier and recreational mariner, Bob is grateful to reside in Coast Salish traditional territory (North Vancouver) with his wife Patricia. 

Patrick Robertson

Co-leader of the Education for Sustainability teacher education cohort in the Faculty of Education at the University of British Columbia

Patrick Robertson (BA, BEd, MA) has been in the field of education for over two decades. He currently co-leads the Education for Sustainability teacher education cohort in the Faculty of Education at the University of British Columbia. Patrick also leads Syncollab Strategies, a consulting collaborative in B.C., is the current Chair of the Classrooms to Communities (C2C) Education Network, and serves as a director or advisor for various other provincial and national organizations focused on sustainability, climate, place and land-based learning, and educational transformation. He also works in the policy realm, contributing to the renewed BC Science Curriculum and more recent policy initiatives focused on climate education. Teacher education, mentorship and professional development are deep passions and the priorities of climate action, reconciliation and justice are ongoing commitments.

Dr. Jiaying Zhao

Associate Professor and Canada Research Chair in the Department of Psychology and the Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability.

Dr. Jiaying Zhao is an Associate Professor and Canada Research Chair in the Department of Psychology and the Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability at the University of British Columbia. Her work uses cognitive principles to design behavioural solutions to address sustainability challenges. Dr. Zhao is currently working on resource scarcity, recycling and composting behavior, climate change perception, and biodiversity conservation.