The Green Review

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The University of New Brunswick's Sustainability summary of New Brunswick’s ‘Pathway Towards Decarbonization and Climate Resilience New Brunswick’s Climate Change Action Plan 2022-2027’.

A Climate Change Action Plan is a widely used tool to establish objectives for mitigating human impacts and adapting to climate change. The revised plan uses the 2016 Climate Change Action Plan: “Transitioning to a Low-Carbon Economy” as the foundation. The 2022 plan is broken down into three main pillars:

• Government Leadership and Accountability,
• Reducing GHG Emissions, and
• Preparing for Climate Change.

Each pillar outlines subcategories and the actionable measures the provincial government plans to take; subsequently, each action is categorized into two broad sections: steps that need to be taken now and actions that require planning to set the stage for future action.

Pillars, Subcategories, and New Actions

Pillar 1: Government Leadership and Accountability.

This pillar encompasses accountability and reporting, education and capacity building, and collaboration with indigenous communities. New actions added to the 2022 – 2027 plan:

• Promote climate literacy and professional development to ensure educational staff have the tools to communicate climate change. By 2027, have 10 – 20% of staff complete climate change training.
• Establish a working group with Indigenous communities and organizations by 2024 to identify climate change priority areas and facilitate information sharing.

Pillar 2: Reducing GHG Emissions

This pillar includes GHG emission targets, sustainable and renewable energy, waste reduction and conversion, climate-smart agriculture, aquaculture and fisheries, and the importance of natural carbon sinks.

NEW ACTION: Committing to reaching net-zero emissions by 2050 and developing a net-zero blueprint by 2025.

NEW ACTION: Use incentives and programs to achieve 6 percent of recent light-duty vehicle sales by electric vehicles by 2025 and 50 percent by 2030.

NEW ACTION: Support the transition to zero-emission freight transportation.

NEW ACTION: Support the regional service commission’s regional transportation plans by 2023 to increase accessibility, affordability, and availability of public transportation services.

NEW ACTION: Develop a Clean Electricity Strategy by 2025 for achieving net-zero electricity emissions by 2035.

NEW ACTION: Advance the Clean Electricity Strategy, and contribute to the strategy itself:

• Set clear electricity efficiency performance targets and reporting requirements for NB Power and provide funding to low-income and Indigenous programs as well as program participants who use non-electric fuels by 2023;
• Ensure equitable access to energy efficiency programs through financing and/or payment mechanisms by 2024; and
• Review provincial energy legislation by 2024 for opportunities in GHG emissions reductions and investments in clean fuels, technologies, and resources.

NEW ACTION: Enable local production and use of renewable natural gas (RNG) and clean hydrogen to ensure New Brunswickers have access to decarbonized fuels by 2030.

• By 2025, investigate and, if appropriate, set a minimum proportion of RNG and/or clean hydrogen.
• By 2030, support the strategic implementation of RNG and clean hydrogen re-fueling infrastructure while prioritizing co-location with existing fueling stations.

NEW ACTION: Work with the federal government toward the phase-out of heating oil use in all buildings. This will include identifying transition support for heating oil delivery companies and phasing out heating oil by 2030.

NEW ACTION: Ensure building construction in NB meets energy performance requirements:

• Adopt the most current version of the National Energy Code of Canada for Buildings and the National Building Code of Canada within 18 months of being published;
• Adopt more stringent tiers within the National Energy Code of Canada for Buildings and the National Building Code of Canada between 2023 and 2030;
• Ensure all building officials receive the necessary training in advance.

NEW ACTION: Develop and deliver building energy performance labelling and disclosure pilot programs for buildings by 2024. Aim to develop requirements by 2030.

NEW ACTION: By 2024, establish a performance standard for existing landfill gas management systems to increase methane capture and reduce emissions. Support the development of renewable methane projects by 2027.

NEW ACTION: Develop and begin an Agriculture Climate Change Strategy by 2025 that supports a low-carbon, resilient, and economically sustainable agriculture sector. The Strategy is expected to:

• Identify opportunities to reduce GHG emissions from agriculture and enhance carbon sinks;
• Identify opportunities to strengthen farm resilience;
• Enhance sustainable economic growth; and
• Develop benchmarks and performance indicators, and report on progress.

NEW ACTION: Increase and understand the carbon stocks of NB’s forests and wetlands:

• Publish an assessment of the carbon stock of forests by 2025 and begin tracking and reporting on inventory; and
• Develop and start using an assessment tool to quantify the carbon stock of NB’s wetlands in 2026. Additionally, begin regularly monitoring the carbon stock of wetlands and issue a report by 2030.

NEW ACTION: Prepare a government GHG reduction plan by 2024 that details how the province will achieve emissions reductions of 20-40% in its buildings and fleet by 2030.

NEW ACTION: Implement climate change statements from the public under the Community Planning Act by 2025. Assist communities in implementing mitigation measures to reduce GHG emissions.

NEW ACTION: Collaborate with regional service commissions, local governments, and rural districts to ensure monitoring of GHG reduction plan development and implementation. As GHG reduction plans are completed, schedules are developed within one year.

NEW ACTION: Develop a whole-of-government Sustainable Economic Development Plan for NB focused on decarbonization. Create economic growth conditions that will enable business and industry transition and growth. This plan will be completed by 2024.

NEW ACTION: Promote workforce and skills readiness:

• Conduct a Clean Technology Skills Gap Assessment by 2025. Implement any new programs identified by 2027; and
• Identify the skill and technology gaps and fund programs necessary to train 300 new and existing tradespeople by 2026 in skills related to residential and commercial high-performance buildings.

Pillar 3: Preparing for Climate Change

This pillar involves understanding and communicating climate change risks and opportunities, adaptation, planning, and implementations, and biodiversity and nature-based solutions.

NEW ACTION: Improve understanding and awareness of climate change risks to ensure preparedness:

• NB flood education and awareness program by 2025;
• Environmental health monitoring program by 2027;
• Establish a FireSmart program by 2025 for communities deemed at risk of wildfires;
• Establish a drought index and public advisory reporting system by 2026; and
• Release the most up-to-date predictive climate change information for all regions of the province by 2025.

NEW ACTION: Conduct and release a provincial climate change risk assessment by 2025.

NEW ACTION: In response to the provincial climate change risk assessment, develop a regional climate change adaptation plan by 2026, followed by climate change adaptation plans for government departments by 2027.

NEW ACTION: Assist communities in climate change adaptation by including climate change statements from the public under the Community Planning Act by 2025.

NEW ACTION: Collaborate with regional service commissions, local governments, and rural districts to ensure climate change adaptation plan development and implementation is reported annually.

NEW ACTION: Increase the resiliency of the local transportation network to future climate conditions:

• A Long-Term Flood Mitigation Plan by 2024;
• A Large Culvert Assessment Study by 2024; and
• An Infrastructure Decision Guideline by 2024.

NEW ACTION: By 2024, evaluate options to optimize available disaster financial assistance so that NB property owners have increased access to funds needed to implement proactive measures.

NEW ACTION: Maintain biodiversity and increase resilience through nature-based solutions:

• Renewed Biodiversity Strategy by 2025. The provincial government will publish a list of climate-sensitive species by 2023 and continue to update the list.
• Set a new target for protected areas by 2024, which will take NB beyond safeguarding 10 percent of the province’s land and freshwater.

NEW ACTION: Implement a Living Shorelines program by 2026 that promotes natural adaptation approaches and nature-based solutions through training, science-based tools, and best practices made available to NB property owners.