BEPPLE – As it gets hotter, now is the time to follow the Climate Action Plan

THE SUMMER is well underway, and we’re heading towards more and more record-breaking weather events. As of July 5, in Kamloops there were 50 days greater to or equal to 25 degrees Celsius, putting this year in first place for the most year-to-date as of July 5.

In June, 11 Kamloops weather records were broken including highest maximum temperature for a June 8 (36.3 degrees Celsius). We also experienced two of the driest days, with the lowest mean-humidity recorded for a June 4 and June 5.

Hot and dry.

We’re in good company. On Monday, July 3, the U.S. National Centers for Environmental Prediction measured the global average temperature at 17.0 degrees Celsius, surpassing the previous record from 1979. By Tuesday, July 4, the global average temperate had climbed to 17.19. The previous record, set in 2016, was 16.92 degrees Celsius.

We’re barely out of the first week of July, and the heat is inching up day by day. Hotter and hotter, dryer and dryer.

Which means that it is good news that the previous Kamloops City council passed a Community Climate Action Plan. And equally important, that they put in place a funding formula for paying for the changes needed.

Some might argue individual actions have no consequence. True. But collectively, changes have effect.

That’s why, for example, the State of California plans to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 85 per cent by 2045, and transition to 100 per cent clean energy, such as wind power, by 2045 as well. California has almost the same population as all of Canada.

Meanwhile, Germany’s goal is that their building sectors are carbon neutral by 2045. Funding will be provided for housing retrofits such as heat pumps. Carbon pricing will make low-emission cars, especially electric cars, more attractive price-wise than fuel-based vehicles.

Germany’s goal is to cut greenhouse gas emissions by at least 65 per cent by 2030, and to be carbon neutral by 2045. Germany has twice the population of Canada.

Around the world, country by country, changes are happening to reduce carbon emissions.
Here in Kamloops, the Community Climate Action Plan tackles the same issues as everywhere else.

First, the plan lays out ways carbon emissions from transportation will be reduced. This includes giving more options for electric vehicle charging in the city, improving transit and cycling infrastructure so more people can choose “active transportation,” and building more walkable neighborhoods so vehicles are needed less for day-to-day activities.

The plan also lays out how new buildings in Kamloops will be net-zero by 2030. There are also plans to assist homeowners to find ways to cut emissions through retrofits and upgrades.

One of the big pieces of the puzzle for the City is reducing methane by implementing an organic collection program this summer. Keeping organic material out of the landfill means that it will be composted, capturing the carbon, rather than decay in the landfill and producing methane.

Every time someone in Kamloops puts out their organic waste bin on collection day, they will be helping the City of Kamloops goal of reducing our overall community emissions by 80 per cent by 2050. It will also help extend the lifespan of the landfill which is a huge savings to taxpayers.

Days are getting hotter. Now is the time to follow the plan, the Community Climate Action Plan. We need to ensure that, just as people in California, and in Germany, and people around the world, Kamloops moves away from greenhouse gas emissions, and collectively moves to a net-zero future.

Nancy Bepple is a Kamloops City councillor with a strong interest in community building projects.