British Columbia Premier John Horgan has signed a new climate pact with the governors of Washington, Oregon and California that includes investments in cross-border climate infrastructure like electric vehicle charging stations.
The statement of co-operation also aims to accelerate the transition to a low-carbon economy and to protect communities from climate disasters including droughts, wildfires and heat waves.
The four jurisdictions have differing climate agendas, but share the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions at least 80 per cent by 2050.
Horgan, who travelled to San Francisco for the signing, highlighted the need for innovative solutions and continually shifting targets.
He says all four jurisdictions are experiencing the same “profound” issues, including devastating wildfires like the one in June 2021 that destroyed the village of Lytton, B.C.
Horgan told a news conference that climate change is a global crisis, but western North America is uniquely positioned to respond because the four jurisdictions share similar goals and are willing to collaborate to meet them.
“I’m very proud to stand with these three leaders in this spectacular city to say yes, we have challenges, but we can overcome them,” he said.
“We cannot solve the problems by ourselves, but I know together we can at least make some progress.”
B.C. and the three U.S. states are part of the Pacific Coast Collaborative grouping, set up almost 15 years ago.