(July 10) CBC News Article Outlines Co-Benefits of Climate Action

July 10, 2019

In an article released today, "Fighting climate change may be cheaper and more beneficial than we think", CBC News talks with ACT's Executive Director Deborah Harford and Ann Dale, a professor in the School of Environment and Sustainability at Royal Roads University.

The article details the numerous co-benefits of pursuing adaptation and mitigation strategies; a synergistic approach we refer to as Low Carbon Resilience (LCR). Co-benefits have the advantage of more localized and short-term impacts, a characteristic than can help incentivize and spur decision making changes in local government.

Currently, ACT is working on developing a LCR framework for the Integrated Climate Action for BC Communities Initiative (ICABCCI). This framework will help communities integrate synergistic adaptation and mitigation planning, while also helping them realize the multiple co-benefits that can be achieved through an LCR approach. Understanding this lens will help governments plan for both short term and long term goals.

Multiple examples of co-benefits were mentioned in the CBC News article:

Financial; in countries like China, air pollution will reduce GDP by 10%.
Ecological; restoring wetlands can act as natural buffers to sea level rise, reduce emissions from pumping, and can sequester carbon in the process.

Along with these co-benefits, others such as job creation, improved water and air quality, and reduced urban temperatures exist within the crux of LCR climate action strategies.

Read the full article here.