Climate change is more than a phase, it’s a consistent global trend that is changing temperatures, increasing rain and snow in some seasons and decreasing them in others, and causing new extremes in weather that can affect us individually and as a community.
These changes have increased the risk of forest fires that interface with homes and businesses in communities and cause life safety and property damage concerns. Extreme weather and changes to freeze/thaw cycles can result in the need for more frequent maintenance and replacement of roads and other public infrastructure such as pipes. Drought conditions put pressure on available water supply, and heavy rain and snow can result in flooding.
As nature changes, we need to adapt to help ensure our community remains safe. Adapting to a changing climate means taking steps to provide residents with information, programs and services that meet these evolving needs.
For information on more than 40 climate indicators, including temperature, precipitation, growing seasons, extreme weather and many other valuable climate related resources, visit the Columbia Basin Climate Source.
Carbon Neutral Sparwood
In 2008, the District of Sparwood signed the BC Climate Action Charter which is a non-legally binding commitment to make corporate operations carbon neutral by 2012, to measure and report on corporate emissions, and to work toward creating a more compact, complete, energy efficient community.
Local Government Climate Action Program (LGCAP)
The Local Government Climate Action Program (LGCAP) is a conditional grant program that provides funding to BC Climate Action Charter (Charter) signatories. The program provides local governments with predictable and stable funding to support the implementation of local climate action that reduces emissions and prepares communities for the impacts of a changing climate.
The aim of the program is to help BC reach legislated climate targets and achieve provincial climate goals outlines in the CleanBC Roadmap to 2030 and the Climate Preparedness and Adaptation Strategy.
For more information on the actions the District of Sparwood has taken to work toward creating a more compact, complete, energy efficient community, you can view the LGCAP surveys here. The LGCAP replaces the Climate Action Revenue Incentive Program and previous climate action reporting under that program can be found here.
Community Energy & Emissions Plan
On December 4, 2012 a workshop held with staff, Council, Chamber of Commerce and individuals from the building/development community in Sparwood, was facilitated by the Community Energy Association and BC Hydro. The workshop group looked at the energy and emissions data for the community as a whole and decided on an action plan. The final Community Energy and Emissions Plan (CEEP) report summarizes the outcomes of the workshop, and the action plan details as identified through the workshop.
The CEEP that was developed during the December 4, 2012 workshop allows the community of Sparwood to meet 2 tonne per capita reduction target by 2020. A model run of the actions not including the “Maybe” actions brings the community very close to achieving the target. The charts in this report do include the “Maybe” actions so that further consideration can be given by the community and Council. The participation of Sparwood in this CEEP QuickStart process was very timely, with an Official Community Plan review taking place in 2013 (adopted September 28, 2015). This will provide the District with an opportunity to integrate the policy-based actions directly into the OCP allowing implementation of those policy tools in the very near future. Communities can continue to grow and expand in a manner that does not increase overall emissions and energy consumption. The planning mechanisms identified through the CEEP QS process will contribute to the development of a resilient future for Sparwood.
Through BC Hydro and Fortis BC, there are a number of rebate programs available to consumers to reduce their energy consumption.