Regulatory Reporting

Under BC’s Carbon Neutral Government program—legislated under the Climate Change Accountability Act—all provincial public sector organizations must be carbon neutral. We ensure UBC Okanagan’s compliance with these regulatory requirements by following mandated reporting and offsetting steps to achieve carbon neutrality.

Our reporting process plays a key role in advancing sustainable actions on campus by enabling collaboration with key units to develop future strategies for carbon reduction and climate risk mitigation.

BC Climate Commitments

To address climate change, the Government of British Columbia has introduced climate action legislation that guides the province’s efforts to reduce emissions and transition to a low-carbon economy.

Under the Climate Change Accountability Act, BC has committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by:

  • 16 per cent below 2007 levels by 2025,
  • 40 per cent by 2030,
  • 60 per cent by 2040, and
  • 80 per cent by 2050.

Through BC’s Carbon Neutral Government program, legislated under the Climate Change Accountability Act, all provincial public sector organizations must measure, reduce, offset, verify and report annually on their carbon neutrality efforts.

UBCO’s Role in Carbon Reporting and Climate Accountability

At UBC Okanagan, the Sustainability Office ensures compliance with BC’s provincial legal and regulatory greenhouse gas reporting requirements. Our team leads the collection and submission of in-scope emissions data while developing and maintaining campus carbon reporting methodologies and procedures to ensure quality assurance, control, self-certification and verification.

Each year, we produce a Climate Change Accountability Report, see below, that details the campus’s measures to reduce carbon emissions and outlines future actions. Energy use and emissions data for buildings, fleets, paper, and fugitive emissions are tracked and aggregated using the provincial Clean Government Reporting Tool (CGRT).

 

Annual GHG emission tracking and inventories

As required by the Climate Change Accountability Act, these reports not only fulfill provincial reporting obligations but also support operational unit-level sustainability planning.

Each report includes a detailed summary of greenhouse gas emissions and offsets, source-specific emissions data, actions taken to reduce emissions from buildings, fleets, paper and travel, as well as planned future initiatives.

The Sustainability Office leads the development of the annual reports and collaborates with the UBC Sustainability Hub and Campus + Community Planning on the broader UBC system-wide report.

As part of BC’s Carbon Neutral Government program, we complete an annual Leadership in Climate Resilience Survey. This survey helps the province assess how prepared the public sector is for climate change and informs future decisions about service delivery and asset management. It also supports climate risk mitigation by tracking our progress and identifying opportunities to strengthen climate resilience across the university.

Related to the survey, we also contribute to UBC’s Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures Report.

Submitted to the Ministry of Advanced Education, this annual report outlines how UBC is responding to provincial priorities and advancing its strategic objectives. It includes an overview of the university’s operating environment and how it is addressing key themes, such as the climate crisis.

Led by the UBC Government Relations Office, the report is supported by the UBC Okanagan Sustainability Office, which provides examples of local initiatives related to climate action, energy, sustainability and green buildings. Annual greenhouse gas emissions data for both campuses are coordinated through UBC Campus and Community Planning for inclusion in the report.