BBOT Submission for Climate Preparedness and Adaption Strategy

The Burnaby Board of Trade in response to the Provincial Government request for  public feedback on its Climate Preparedness and Adaption Strategy convened a small task force of business owners and professionals who met to discuss and brainstorm areas of concern and focus.

This task force and our membership, representing businesses of all sizes and sectors, identified both overarching impacts of climate change as well as three specific areas/sectors to highlight for particular attention. These concerns can be summarized as: the impact of increased severe weather on business; the viability of carbon intensive industries; the opportunity to support the business community in this area, and the unique impacts related to the insurance industry, the electrical grid, and the construction sector.

For many years the Burnaby Board of Trade (BBOT), through its award-winning Pledge for a Sustainable Community program, has been a leading voice in t the business community on the importance of environmental sustainability and the role of industry in addressing climate change. For these reasons, the BBOT welcomes this opportunity to contribute to the provincial government’s review of its climate readiness plans and the development of its climate preparedness and adaptation strategy. The attached letter was sent to the provincial government Friday January 10th, 2020.