Province Recognizes World Environment Day

On World Environment Day, Nova Scotia is committed to taking strong action to address climate change and protect the province and the planet.

“We will continue to take bold action to tackle the climate crisis and seize the economic opportunity of a lifetime,” said Premier Iain Rankin. “With new legislation, investment and protection of nature, we can unleash the potential of our province for the benefit of future generations.”

The United Nations designated June 5 as World Environment Day in 1972. This year, the theme for World Environment Day is ecosystem restoration.

“Everything we do to address climate change will help protect our land and aquatic ecosystems. We have committed to move off coal by 2030 in favour of more renewable energy. We’re investing to make homes and vehicles more energy efficient and developing detailed regulations to protect our coastlines,” said Environment and Climate Change Minister Keith Irving. “We are currently consulting Nova Scotians about their priorities for our Sustainable Development Goals Act and our Climate Change Plan for Clean Growth. Why not consider taking a few minutes during World Environment Day to share your ideas?”

Public engagement on the Sustainable Development Goals Act and Climate Change Plan for Clean Growth is underway until July 26. Details are available at https://cleanfuture.ca/

Among the actions government is taking to protect the environment:

• developing detailed regulations for the Coastal Protection Act, which will determine what can and can’t be built on the province’s coastlines
• updating the provincial climate risk assessment, with a focus on the climate change risks that will most impact Nova Scotians’ wellness. The final report will be ready in 2022
• starting a rebate program for e-bikes, electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids, to encourage Nova Scotians to move away from gasoline-powered vehicles
• investing more than half of the Green Fund in energy-efficiency programming for low-income Nova Scotians
• announcing the intention to designate 61 new wilderness areas, nature reserves and parks, moving toward the new goal of 14 per cent
• working with departments and sectors to identify and address the risks and opportunities presented by climate change under our Climate Adaptation Leadership Program
• passing the Plastic Bag Reduction Act to ban single-use plastic shopping bags

Quick Facts:

• under the 2019 Sustainable Development Goals Act, Nova Scotia has committed to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by 53 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030. It has also committed to net zero emissions by 2050
• the province has committed to provincial government offices being powered by renewable energy by 2025, to being off coal by 2030, and to having 80 per cent of the province’s energy coming from renewable sources by 2030