End Climate Delay July 2022, Photo credit: Alex Harris
Salt Spring Island, just like the rest of the world, has not been immune to this year's climate crises. We've endured intense summer droughts, watched as wildfires spread across BC and Canada, and sat under days of smoky skies. The question is: Are we up for the future climate challenges heading our way?
We are witnessing more prolonged droughts, water shortages, dangerous storms, increased forest fire risks, devastating heat waves, flooding and more. Between 2019 and 2021, Transition Salt Spring (TSS) rolled out the Climate Action Plan 2.0 (CAP), packed with 250 actions to address the urgent climate challenge. The primary objective? Reduce our greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 50% before 2030 and prepare our community for the impacts of climate change.
Fast forward to 2023, and we find ourselves at a pivotal moment and faced with the question: are we ready for the challenges ahead? Enter the Climate Action Report Card, Transition Salt Spring's first look at our community's progress and shortfalls in meeting the goals set out in the CAP 2.0 document.
TSS Launches the Climate Report Card!
Why do we need a climate report card?
The report card serves a couple of crucial purposes:
1. Track Progress: setting a starting point for tracking our climate efforts every few years and measuring our progress–are we moving in the right direction?
2. Engage the Community: We want to openly share our community's climate achievements, struggles, and vulnerabilities so that the whole community knows where we need to push for faster progress.
3. Take Action: Armed with the Report's findings, we need to work together with community members and leaders to implement high-priority policies and programs to reduce emissions and prepare our island for climate change.
Our resilience on the island is deeply interconnected. Factors that influence resilience cross areas of population health, ecosystem health, and low carbon, and climate-ready infrastructure.
Five Key Focus Areas
The Report Card focuses on five key areas: Forest Protection, Water Security, Food Security, Transportation Emissions, and Food Emissions.
Progress!
The Climate Adaptation Research Lab’s forest stewardship and fire risk reduction project in the Maxwell Creek Watershed.
Forest Protection: Recent acquisitions of land parcels have significantly enhanced forest conservation efforts, which capture carbon and reduce fire risks.
Water Security: The development of the Salt Spring Island Watershed Protection Plan lays out a clear plan to safeguard vital water resources.
Local Food Initiatives: Initiatives like the Root Food Hub and the Salt Spring Abattoir have strengthened local food systems, promoting sustainability and self-sufficiency.
Electric Vehicle Infrastructure: The expansion of electric vehicle infrastructure demonstrates our commitment to reducing carbon emissions in transportation.
Salish Sea Trail Network: Securing a federal grant to advocate for the expansion of the Salish Sea Trail Network reflects a commitment to seeing this come to fruition.
Essential Infrastructure Investments: Investments in safety enhancements, like a new fire hall and an expanded emergency department at Lady Minto Hospital, have made our community more secure.
However, despite all these notable successes, the Report Card doesn't sugarcoat the key findings: we are not on track to meet the CAP 2.0 goals.
Urgent Action Needed!
Unfortunately, we're falling short of addressing climate challenges with the urgency they demand. There is still a need for a comprehensive forest management strategy, improved wildfire resilience planning, enhanced forest and wetland management, and enabling private landowners to participate in these efforts.
Furthermore, food security is a pressing challenge, with just two days' worth of food supply available on the island in the event of extreme weather or ferry service interruptions.
Too many still need to rely on fossil fuel-powered cars. There is still a need to create safer biking and walking paths and an expanded bus service.
Salish Sea Trail Bike Rally, July 2022
Let's also remember the importance of providing affordable housing options and implementing smarter water management solutions to facilitate housing options on the island. We must view climate change through a justice lens, recognizing that its impacts vary based on housing security, income, gender, and ethnicity.
Next Steps
The Climate Action Report Card 2023 is a wake-up call for our community to prioritize forest restoration, water conservation, food system resilience and emissions reduction.
Transition Salt Spring is committed to working hand in hand with other organizations, local government, and community members to create more sustainable future for everyone, including the non-human beings who call this place home.
Climate Arts Festival Community Procession, September 2022. Photo credit: Chris Marshall
We will need your help along the way. So, Salt Spring Islanders, get ready to be a part of something big! Your participation matters, and we look forward to your involvement in shaping a sustainable and resilient future for our beautiful island.
For more details, stay tuned to the Salt Spring Exchange for more updates and opportunities to get involved.
If you'd like to learn more about the Climate Report Card, please join us for the next Ask Salt Spring event on September 29 at 11 a.m. at SIMs.
Funding from the Salt Spring Island Foundation and the Capital Regional District made the Climate Report Card possible. We thank our dedicated board and staff, particularly climate researcher Kacia Tolsma, for bringing this Report together.
