Organizational Climate Change Strategy
Building upon the Climate Change Action Plan and in alignment with our updated Position Statement, Engineers and Geoscientists BC has now developed an Organizational Climate Change Strategy (the Strategy) to further embed climate action into its operations and regulatory activities.
The Strategy advances Engineers and Geoscientists BC’s public interest mandate under the Professional Governance Act while operationalizing our 2022-2027 Strategic Plan. It reflects Engineers and Geoscientists BC’s unique role as a regulator to lead by example and empower registrants to address climate risks. The Strategy is aligned with federal and provincial climate initiatives and was developed by integrating equity and reconciliation principles.
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.
Strategy Development
The Strategy was developed through multiple phases of internal and external engagement. Valuable feedback was collected and used to inform the Strategy while ensuring diverse perspectives were incorporated. Findings of the external consultation are summarized in a What We Heard report. Throughout the Strategy development process, opportunities to integrate climate action and sustainability with the other Social Responsibility imperatives, including EDI and Reconciliation, was actively investigated and integrated.
Strategy Implementation
The Strategy will be implemented in phases over the next five years and will be led by the Climate Change and Sustainability team. While Engineers and Geoscientists BC is already advancing key components of the Strategy, implementation updates would be provided via annual updates to the Board and a publicly accessible implementation tracker. A formal mid-term review in 2027, informed by environmental scans, Indigenous partner feedback, and registrant input, will ensure the Strategy achieves the intended goals and objectives and is aligned with emerging science, regulatory shifts, and equity-related priorities.
Note that the Strategy does not demand any new action from registrants beyond the regulatory and ethical obligations they already must meet in practice.
If you have any questions about Engineers and Geoscientists BC’s Organizational Climate Change Strategy, please contact [email protected].