Planning for climate justice in a zero-carbon economy
For British Columbia to meet its emissions targets and not perpetuate the climate crisis, it must phase out its fossil fuel industries by mid-century. This means strategically and thoughtfully planning for the coming energy transition, including full decarbonization of the economy by 2050 and a fair transition for workers and resource-dependent communities.
The report outlines a four-part framework for a managed wind-down in BC, which must be planned with First Nations, to phase out fossil fuel industries over the next 20 to 30 years.
Governments and industry must engage in an honest conversation about what’s needed to get to net-zero emissions by mid-century, rather than focussing on extracting and exporting as much fossil fuels as possible, the report says. The proposed wind-down approach is informed by climate justice and just transition, and the authors explain that the path forward must ensure that no one—in particular workers and communities in existing fossil fuel sectors—is left behind.
This report is part of the Corporate Mapping Project, which is jointly led by the University of Victoria, Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (BC & Saskatchewan offices) and the Parkland Institute. This research was supported by the Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC).
Attachments
Summary: Winding Down BC’s Fossil Fuel Industries
Read the news release here
About the authors
Marc Lee
Marc Lee is a Senior Economist with the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. Marc joined the CCPA’s British Columbia office in 1998, and is one of Canada’s leading progressive commentators on economic and environmental policy issues. From 2009 to 2015, Marc led the CCPA’s Climate Justice Project (CJP), which published a wide range of research on fair and effective approaches to climate action through integrating principles of social justice. Marc continues to write about climate and energy policy, strategies for affordable housing, federal and provincial budgets and macroeconomics. Marc has an MA in Economics from Simon Fraser University and a BA in Economics from the University of Western Ontario. Marc is a past chair of the Progressive Economics Forum, a national network of heterodox economists. He also served as a Visiting Professor at Simon Fraser University’s School of Public Policy in 2024 to 2025.
Seth Klein
Seth Klein was a CCPA-BC research associate and the former CCPA-BC Director.