British Columbia has again been honoured as an international climate leader for its revenue-neutral carbon tax.

The United Nations today recognized B.C. at an international climate summit underway in Morocco. British Columbia received one of 13 ‘Momentum for Change’ awards handed out at the 22nd session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 22) Low-Emissions Solutions Conference in Marrakech, Morocco.

Jordan Sturdy, B.C. Parliamentary Secretary for Energy Literacy and the Environment, accepted B.C.’s award at the conference on behalf of Premier Christy Clark.

Climate leaders from around the world gathered at the awards ceremony to celebrate innovations in climate action through transformational change, and the promotion of clean technology, sustainable economic activity and green jobs.

B.C.’s revenue-neutral carbon tax was among other award winners, including Google’s Project Sunroof, WeShareSolar’s crowdfunding platform for community solar projects, and Morocco’s own Dar Si Hmad, which developed a unique system to harvest fog for drinking water.

The Momentum for Change initiative is spearheaded by the UN Framework Convention for Climate Change to showcase some of the most innovative, scalable and replicable examples of what people and jurisdictions are doing to address climate change.

Quotes:

Christy Clark, Premier of British Columbia –

“Around the world, governments are grappling with the challenge of fighting climate change while fostering economic growth. As B.C.’s revenue-neutral carbon tax shows, and this award recognizes, it is possible to reduce harmful emissions while growing the economy, creating jobs and driving investment into cleaner options.”

Jordan Sturdy, Parliamentary Secretary for Energy Literacy and the Environment –

“British Columbians can be proud our pioneering, revenue-neutral carbon tax is recognized on the world stage, alongside twelve other game-changing, innovative solutions to combat climate change.”

Quick Facts:

• British Columbia was the first jurisdiction in North America to introduce a carbon tax.
• The revenue-neutral carbon tax was implemented on July 1, 2008, and the final scheduled increase took effect on July 1, 2012.
• At $30/tonne, B.C.’s carbon tax is the highest in North America.
• Covering 70% of provincial emissions, B.C.’s carbon tax is also the most comprehensive in North America.
• B.C.’s carbon tax has been profiled in The Economist, the New York Times and the LA Times as a leading environmental policy.
• Premier Christy Clark was invited to the World Bank-International Monetary Fund (IMF) spring 2015 meetings in Washington, D.C. to speak to G20 finance ministers about B.C.’s carbon tax – the first time a Canadian premier has been invited to speak at the forum.
• In a December 2014 speech, World Bank President Jim Yong Kim praised B.C.’s carbon tax as “one of the most powerful” examples of carbon pricing.

Learn More:

To learn more about the Momentum for Change award, visit: http://newsroom.unfccc.int/climate-action/2016-momentum-for-change-lighthouse-activities/

To learn more about B.C.’s carbon tax, visit: http://www.fin.gov.bc.ca/tbs/tp/climate/carbon_tax.htm

http://unfccc.int/secretariat/momentum_for_change/items/9931.php

To learn more about B.C.’s Climate Leadership Plan, visit: https://climate.gov.bc.ca/