Good news - and a sigh of relief - for those concerned about the climate in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It was a hard won win but it demonstrates that even against a very powerful Mayor and city council the people can emerge victorious. Here’s the story.
“Under Vancouver’s Climate Emergency Action Plan, new buildings in the city have not been permitted to use fossil fuels for space and water heating since early 2022, a nationally precedent-setting policy that was widely seen as a beacon of genuine climate emergency action. But, in a surprise move this past July, Mayor Ken Sim and some of his centre-right councillors moved to re-allow gas in new homes, giving staff until this fall to bring forward a new, more “gas-friendly” policy.”
Local climate activists came together individually and within and between their groups. They initiated letter-writing campaigns to city council and other efforts. And it wasn’t just members of the public “[U]nder the coordination of the Zero Emission Innovation Centre (ZEIC), green builders pushed back. A coalition of progressive businesses urged a rethink.” Church leaders whose churches are in the process of converting how they heat their buildings away from fossil fuels implored city councillors “not to take the city backwards.”
Brought together by the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE), “nearly 150 health professionals wrote to the mayor and council urging a reconsideration, explaining, ‘Relying on gas, renewable or otherwise, in new buildings is not just an outdated approach but also a dangerous one. Gas appliances in homes release pollutants indoors and outdoors such as nitrogen dioxide and benzene, both of which are harmful to human health.’”
If you are involved with fighting government at any level - either to convince them to adopt climate friendly policies or, as in this case, not to roll back climate friendly ones already in place - give the whole article a read - particularly the ‘lessons learned’ section at the end. This section contains a practical summary and tips on how to address the climate policy challenges facing all levels of government around the world.