Organizational Climate Change Strategy
The Organizational Climate Change Strategy development project aims to advance Engineers and Geoscientists BC’s strategic goals by establishing new programs and initiatives that support registrants in addressing climate change and sustainability. This multi-phase project focuses on identifying and planning meaningful actions for both internal improvements and external engagement with registrants.
The development process includes:
Identifying Climate Actions: A comprehensive review of our policies, practices, and operations has been conducted to determine opportunities for new or improved climate-related actions. This includes defining the regulatory role of Engineers and Geoscientists BC regarding climate change.
Climate Change Action Plan Gap Analysis: A review of gaps and opportunities in relation to Climate Change Action Plan implementation.
Assessment of Climate Risk and Resilience: A Physical Climate Risk Assessment is underway to evaluate potential climate risks to our office building and develop measures to enhance its resilience.
Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Management: A GHG inventory and emission reduction plan are being developed, including targets and strategies informed by international best practices.
Application of an Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) and Reconciliation Lens: Throughout the process, opportunities to integrate climate action and sustainability with the other Social Responsibility imperatives, including EDI and Reconciliation, will be actively investigated and applied.
Engagement with Registrants: Running until March 2025, we will hold external consultations with registrants and key partners to gather insights and feedback to help us shape the final strategy document.
A subsequent Organizational Climate Change Strategy implementation project is expected to be carried out over the next five years to implement the actions identified in the strategy document.
How Does the Strategy Align with Our Mandate?
The Organizational Climate Change Strategy supports multiple Engineers and Geoscientists BC priorities and its regulatory mandate as derived from the Professional Governance Act:
Professional Governance Act (PGA) – Part 3 of the PGA assigns a responsibility to regulatory bodies like Engineers and Geoscientists BC to support their registrants in adapting to a broad range of professional practice and emerging issues. The regulatory body therefore has played a key role in providing resources and guidance for firms and individual registrants on how best to incorporate considerations on climate change and sustainability into their practice.
Code of Ethics – Engineers and Geoscientists BC’s Code of Ethics stipulate that “Registrants must hold paramount the safety, health, and welfare of the public, including the protection of the environment and the promotion of health and safety in the workplace.” The Guide to the Code of Ethics further clarifies: “Registrant’s obligation to protect the environment includes consideration for climate change, which means that Registrants are expected to consider any impact of their work on the climate.” To comply with the Code of Ethics, registrants are expected to remain up to date and knowledgeable on topics relating to the intersection of climate change and their practice. Registrants have an obligation to identify and mitigate the risks that climate change poses to the public’s safety, health and welfare, and to the environment.
Engineers and Geoscientists BC’s Strategic Plan – Our 2022-2027 Strategic Plan was established to “guide our decisions, steer our operations, and shape our future as an inclusive, progressive, and future-focused regulator.” Social Responsibility was identified as a key imperative of this vision, driven by Engineers and Geoscientists BC’s responsibility to promote ethical professional practice. The Social Responsibility imperative includes four main components: climate action, sustainability, EDI, and truth and reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples. Within this imperative, the Strategic Plan committed the regulatory body to developing strategies that detail the actions that can be taken to address the four components. The Organizational Climate Change Strategy is among such actions identified as a direct result of this commitment.
How to Get Involved
The Organizational Climate Change Strategy development builds on existing work and includes external engagement opportunities with registrants (individuals and firms) on various topics. Key areas for input include:
Climate Change Information Portal – Redesign and expand the Climate Change Information Portal to include more sectors/areas of practice;
Climate Change and Sustainability-Related Continuing Education (CE) – Provide more avenues to account for climate change and sustainability-related Continuing Education (CE) sessions within the CE Program; and
New Sustainability/Social Responsibility-Related Program for Firms – Create a new voluntary program for registrant firms that will ask them to provide documentation in their Professional Practice Management Plan (PPMP) to demonstrate how they meet sustainability/social responsibility objectives.
The feedback from these three areas will inform the development of the strategy document and be used to further formulate the proposed actions into actionable steps that can be achieved by Engineers and Geoscientists BC.
Upcoming Ways to Get Involved:
We are planning to set up several focus groups in February 2025 to help us shape the proposed actions. If you are interested in participating in such focus groups, as an individual registrant or as a Responsible Registrant representing your firm, please send an email to [email protected]. Please provide your name, contact information, whether you are applying as an individual registrant or as a Responsible Registrant, and your industries and areas of practice.
In addition, we are preparing an Intentions Paper detailing the proposed actions, which will be released in March 2025. You will be able to provide written comments and/or complete a short survey about the Intentions Paper content.