Climate change 'lens' needed for policy decisions, says committee chair

The New Brunswick government needs to start looking at future funding decisions on its various programs through a "lens of climate change," according to the chairman of the Select Committee on Climate Change.

Liberal MLA Andy Harvey told Information Morning Fredericton on Monday that climate change is "very real" and "we need to start thinking about it in a long-term way."

"We have to have short-term, medium-term and long-term goals. But they have to be clear-action items," said Harvey.

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"We can't say we're going to study it two or three more years."

Harvey added that the "clear-action items" need to include "accountability, transparency and money."

One policy decision that would need to be assess through a climate change lens is the future of NB Power's Mactaquac Dam.

"We want more renewable energy. So, that would definitely apply in the thinking of what that final decision on Mactaquac would be … If you look at it through that lens, I think most people would argue that, yeah, we need to keep Mactaquac," he said. 

The all-party committee held 11 public meetings across the province in August and September, asking citizens and groups about how they felt the provincial government should tackle the issue of climate change.

As the hearings proceeded, Harvey said a "real eye-opener" was seeing and hearing from residents how violent storms, flooding and coastal erosion was impacting communities.

He also said a plan moving forward needs to include mitigation through programs to reduce carbon emissions and invest in energy efficiency programs but also a plan to adapt to changes that have already occurred in the atmosphere.

Nature can also play a role in terms of managing forests for better carbon capture and helping with soil erosion and flood mitigation, he said.

Harvey said the committee is hoping to present recommendations on climate change to the legislature by mid-October.