"Our due diligence process included a review of the Auditor General's report on carbon offsets and deliberation with the Carbon Neutral Kootenays (CNK) steering committee. It is our assessment that a purchase of Darkwoods offsets in the current environment could distract from the momentum and leadership that CNK local governments are demonstrating.
As an alternative to the purchase of carbon offsets, the CNK team is recommending the allocation of $25 per tonne of emissions to a climate action reserve fund, to be invested in the corporate or community wide projects. This does not meet the requirement to be considered fully carbon neutral for 2012 but does qualify as working toward carbon neutrality."
Following Ms Lohmann's presentation the council voted unanimously to NOT buy carbon credits. Council did NOT follow the alternative recommendation to allocate funds in lieu of buying carbon offsets to a climate action reserve fund.The money that was allocated in the 2013 budget to buy offsets ($9,000) will remain unspent until council has had chance to review it's policy objectives at it's strategic planning session in September. If no alternative projects are bought forward that money will serve to reduce expenses.
The opinions expressed in this blog are my personal
opinions and may not represent the opinions of other councillors nor the
opinions of council.
