Premier Christy Clark takes one step forward, two steps back on climate

I noted with interest Premier Christy Clark’s call for a ban on thermal coal exports last week. Her letter to Prime Minister Trudeau didn’t mince words – thermal coal is a major contributor to global warming, she wrote, and we shouldn’t be exporting it to other countries to be burned if we want to be climate leaders. An export ban is the right thing to do.

I’m familiar with the causes of climate change, having spent a full academic career as a geophysicist at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, much of it focused on global warming research. Any political efforts to reduce our use of coal and other fossil fuels catches my attention.

A year ago my wife and I returned to our roots in B.C. to retire in the west side of Vancouver. I still lecture on climate change and often mention in my talks, with pride, that the B.C. government was a global pioneer in implementing a carbon tax. Christy Clark’s call for a coal export ban seemed like another leadership move worthy of mention.

But efforts to reduce global warming pollution must be consistent to be effective. Only days after earning the seldom won praise of some environmental activist groups with her call for a ban on thermal coal exports, Christy Clark has turned face and attacked the City of Vancouver's plan for a transition to renewable energy and zero emission buildings. She’s even threatened to take away the city’s power to enact it’s own building code.

The City’s plan, while not perfect, is an important effort to reduce emissions in the urban environment – including emissions from burning natural gas, another fossil fuel. Christy Clark’s meddling in this effort is not helpful. Rather than attempting to undermine this important work, she should be seeking ways to support and improve it.

The premier’s quixotic inconsistency appears to be designed to garner votes in the current B.C. election campaign rather than indicating a rational approach to climate change and harmful fossil fuels. I’m forced to wonder – is her call for a thermal coal export ban just an election ploy? Can we trust her commitment to the issue?

Ms. Clark’s contrary moves on climate policy smacks of political opportunism. Until I see more consistency from her on this front, I won’t be comparing her to Gordon Campbell in my talks.