After months of public engagement, the Columbia Basin Trust has released its draft management plan for the next decade. The plan includes important focus areas like the natural environment, relationships with Indigenous peoples, and strong communities. But two key aspects are missing:
- There is very little about reducing our carbon emissions as the focus is almost entirely on adapting to climate change.
- There is nothing on the essential role that learning and education play in achieving long-term success on any of these issues.
The Trust is asking for public feedback by September 20th. If you live in the Columbia Basin. can you take 5-10 minutes to review the draft plan, which is a very quick read, and fill out the Trust’s short survey?
We encourage you to let the Trust know that supporting learning and education, especially for youth, is essential if we hope to have a healthy natural environment, or to make progress on any of the other focus area priorities. The Trust’s next 10 years must include learning! Read more about why learning must be included in the plan.
When it comes to climate change, we can’t pretend that the problem is happening somewhere else and we simply have to adapt to a changing climate. In Canada, we have some of the highest carbon emissions per person in the whole world. We need action to reduce carbon emissions in our homes and buildings, our transportation systems and in industry. Putting the focus on adaptation instead of reducing emissions makes little sense when we know that climate impacts are only going to get worse and worse until we stop pumping so much carbon into our atmosphere. Public opinion data shows clear, strong support for reducing carbon emissions, but individual action is limited. The Trust should support Basin residents, organizations, businesses, and communities to demonstrate leadership as a rural region to build a low-carbon future.
Please have a look at the draft plan and leave your comments by Sept 20th, 2023.