By Cheryl Jahn

Climate Conference focuses on the North

Apr 5, 2023 | 3:46 PM

PRINCE GEORGE – Plenty of sticky notes and conversation at the University of Northern BC, as folks from far afield gathered to talk climate action. And that can be a challenge in Northern BC.

“In the north, the big challenge is capacity,” explains Robert van Adrichem, Director of External Relations for the Community Energy Association. “So you’ll have individual communities with opportunities or different ideas about climate solutions they might want to implement. But capacity is a challenge. And so we found that by bringing people together is like the best hope that we have for being able to address some of these capacity challenges.”

“Capacity challenges” like the fact there is little to no cell service in much of the North, EV charging stations are few and far between. But that’s the very reason the Northern BC Climate Action Network are gathered at UNBC. To hash ideas on how individual communities can tackle climate action priorities. And UNBC wants to help.

“Everyone in the room is most interested in seeing their communities thrive,” says Dr. Sinead Earley, Assistant Professor, Environmental and Sustainability Studies. “And there are so many different dimensions or like ways to do that. It can be through health, stronger health care systems, it can be through through stronger education systems, stronger transportation systems. Even just talking about what active transportation options are available in a place like Mackenzie.”

But often, policy is set, and legislation is passed on the climate action front that are achievable in the more urban centres, a little challenging in this region.

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“We have fewer resources, funding, investment, whatever it is in terms of especially at the community level. A lot of the conversations that I’ve had this morning have been about how different towns can collaborate with each other too, to make the best use of the resources that we do have,” says Dr.Earley

And being more resourceful is what Northerners have to do and pull together to make things happen. “That’s exactly what this is,” says Robert van Adrichem.

“This one’s about climate. We’ve done it before with cancer. We’ve done it before with post-secondary education. We’re doing it today around climate and making sure that we have the people, the capacity to make sure that we’re not just participating in this, that we’re leading investment, we should be leading in this.”

Once this event is over, all the information on all those sticky notes will be compiled into a report highlighting key climate action priorities for the North and to aid in identifying research topics to aid in that goal.