British Columbia has become the first carbon neutral senior government in North America, an achievement that puts B.C. on the leading edge of climate action and the new green economy.

This commitment – enshrined in the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Targets Act - applies to all provincial public sector operations, including government ministries and agencies, schools, colleges, universities, health authorities and Crown corporations.

As part of this commitment, these organizations have:

• Measured their greenhouse gas emissions
• reduced these emissions as much as possible
• offset the remaining emissions by investing in projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions, so the net effect of government activities is carbon neutral, and
• reported out publicly on plans and actions to reduce emissions

BC’s 128 provincial public sector organizations emitted 730,000 tonnes of greenhouse gases in 2010, equivalent to the annual energy use of 62,000 homes or emissions from 143,000 passenger vehicles a year. Pacific Carbon Trust was the Crown agency tasked with delivering high quality, made-in-BC offsets to retire against the public sector’s carbon footprint. This investment in offset projects is helping new and innovative technologies take root in the province, providing secure sources of clean energy and creating jobs that support families.

Carbon Neutral Government Action Center: 

Download the 2010 Carbon Neutral Government Offset Portfolio

Read the News Release

Visit our Offset Project Showcase

Download the 2010 Carbon Neutral Action Report