The Province of British Columbia

Population: 4.1 million (2006)
GHG Emissions: 66.3 million metric tonnes CO₂e (2006)

British Columbia has legislated its emissions reduction target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions from 2007 levels by one-third by 2020 and by 80% by 2050.
The BC Climate Action Plan is projected to achieve 73% of the reductions required to achieve the 2020 target. Interim targets for 2012 and 2016 will be legislated by December, 2008 as recommended by the expert Climate Action Team (CAT). The CAT was established to help the government achieve its ambitious reductions targets by 2020
BC is also the first in North America to legislate the requirement for the public sector to be carbon neutral by 2010.

BC has allocated CAD$60 million (US$50 million) over three years for the LiveSmart BC Efficiency Incentive Program that was launched in early 2008. This program provides incentives to reward smart choices that save energy, water, fuel, time and money.
The BC Energy Plan was announced in 2007, outlining strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through increased energy efficiency. A key commitment, as it relates to energy efficiency, is an ambitious conservation target, to acquire 50% of BC Hydros incremental resource needs through conservation by 2020.

BC Energy Plan requires that all new electricity projects have zero net greenhouse gas emissions.
The BC Bioenergy Strategy was launched in January 2008. It is designed to assist the Province in becoming electricity self sufficient by 2016, as committed in the BC Energy Plan. This strategy includes CAD$25 million (US$21 million) for a Bioenergy Network as well as research and development in organic fuel resources such as wood waste cogeneration and biofuel production.
BC has established the Innovative Clean Energy (ICE) Fund of CAD$25 million (US$21 million) to assist clean power technology projects. The funds will be raised by small charges on energy utilities. Eligible projects could include: development of reliable power solutions for remote or First Nations communities, expansion of opportunities to generate power using alternative fuels, finding ways to convert vehicles to cleaner alternative fuels or advancing conservation technologies to commercial applications.

CAD$14 billion (US$12 billion) has been invested in a Provincial Transit Plan to expand services and double transit ridership. The Province also allocated CAD$50 million (US$42 million) in 2007 for the purchase of newer, cleaner transit buses across BC.
The BC Government has implemented tailpipe emissions standards, equivalent to those laid out in Californias 2004 legislation. This standard is for new vehicle fleets and is expected to eliminate nearly a million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions by 2016.
Substantial tax exemptions have been implemented including: waiving the Provincial Sales Tax on hybrid vehicles saving drivers up to CAD$2000 (US$1700) in addition to the federal governments rebate program. This exemption has been extended to include other environmentally friendly forms of transportation including scooters, electric motorcycles and electric bicycles.

The Province has a net zero deforestation policy that will be put into law by 2010. This policy means that when trees from forest land are permanently removed they will have to be offset with new trees planted elsewhere.
The BC Government has partnered on the Climate Action Initiative project with agricultural sector representatives to explore greenhouse gas reduction strategies. Government and industry will work together to improve fertilization application practices, support community biogas digestion/electricity generation projects and explore anaerobic digesters as a method to capture methane from stockpiled manure.
The Smart Development Partnership Program provides local governments up to CAD$50,000 (US$42,000) to support sustainable land use planning.

In July, 2008 BC became the first jurisdiction in North America to introduce a revenue neutral carbon tax. The tax rate began based on a cost of CAD$10 per tonne of CO₂e emissions, increasing by CAD$5 per tonne each year for the next four years to CAD$30 per tonne in 2012. All carbon tax revenue will be recycled to British Columbians through tax reductions.
British Columbia became the first Canadian province to introduce enabling legislation for a cap and trade system this past spring when it tabled the Greenhouse Gas Reduction (Cap and Trade) Act. As part of the Western Climate Initiative, British Columbia is committed to participating in the Western Climate Initiative (WCI) cap and trade program, scheduled to commence in 2012. The WCI recently released the Design Recommendations for the WCI Regional Cap-and-Trade Program, in September, 2008.

Legislation includes the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Targets Act 2007 which legislates BCs reduction targets and carbon neutral public sector target; the Greenhouse Gas Reduction (Cap and Trade) Act, the first enabling legislation in Canada for a cap and trade system; the Greenhouse Gas Reduction (Renewable and Low Carbon Fuel Requirements) Act with fuel requirements to reduce the environmental impact of transportation fuels; the Greenhouse Gas Reduction (Vehicles Emissions Standards) Act which puts into law vehicle GHG emissions standards, equivalent to those in Californias 2004 regulation; and the Carbon Tax Act which legislates a comprehensive, revenue-neutral carbon tax.