Can We Handle the Climate Challenges Coming Our Way?
From the Driftwood Sept 20 2023
TSS just wrapped up the Climate Report Card 2023, an update on how we’re doing with the Salt Spring Island Climate Action Plan 2.0 that came out in 2021. The plan’s goal is to cut greenhouse gas emissions by half by 2030 in line with Canada’s commitments at the UN and also get our island and all its humans and non-humans ready for the climate changes heading our way.
Since the plan came out, we’ve been making progress in many areas. Electric transportation has increased, taking care of our forests, improving food security, and making our buildings resilient against severe weather impacts. All of this shows we’re committed to keeping our community safe.
Some great work worth noting so far:
- The community bought several important land parcels, helping us protect our forests and trap carbon.
- There’s now a Salt Spring Island Watershed Protection Plan.
- The SSI Farmland Trust launched The Root Food Hub.
- The CRD, the Farmland Trust, SSI Abattoir, and SSI Community Services announced a new composting facility.
- Electric vehicles (EVs) are catching on, with a 40% increase from 2020 to 2021. Also, the CRD has supported more EV charging spots, and we have our first electric school bus.
- Island Pathways received federal dollars to push the Salish Sea Trail Network forward.
- Transition Salt Spring’s Climate Adaptation Research Lab (CARL) is working on projects that make our wetlands healthier and cut forest fire risk on Mount Maxwell.
But here’s the hard part: even with all these wins, the Climate Report Card tells us we are far from hitting the mark to meet the goals of the Climate Action Plan. We must recognize that we’re not ready for the unusual weather here now and the more extreme weather that’s coming. To tackle these issues, we’ve got to change how we build things, plan our community, and take care of our natural areas to cut the risk of things like fires, droughts, and storms. It’s not just about cutting emissions; it’s about getting tougher in the face of wild weather.
Read more here in the Driftwood
Our Climate Report Card expert Kacia Tolsma presents on how far we’ve come with our Climate Action Plan 2.0 on Salt Spring Island, BC in this short 16 min presentation.