B.C. fails to be on track for 2020 greenhouse gas emission target: audit

When it came down to meeting the goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, B.C. and the majority of the country came up short.

A new national audit, conducted by federal environment commissioner Julie Gelfand and auditors general in nine provinces, showed seven out of 12 provinces and territories did not have an overall target for reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 2020.

Even though B.C. did set some benchmarks, the report found the province is not on track to meet them anytime soon.

Auditor General of B.C. Carol Bellringer said she was surprised with the small amount of work the province has done to reach the goal.

Watch: Elizabeth May says Canada ‘behind’ on climate change targets

Federal Commissioner of the Environment Julie Gelfand said she spoke to 33 municipalities around B.C. to discuss what needs to be done in their communities.

“I was surprised at how few departments had actually done a complete risk assessment,” Gelfand said. “We looked at 19 federal departments and found that only five had done a complete risk assessment.”

The goal is for Canada to reach 30 per cent fewer emissions than 2005 levels.

Nova Scotia and New Brunswick were the only two provinces on track to meet their 2020 targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.