Editor’s Note: in addition to being one of Canada’s foremost energy analysts, David Hughes is also a Cortes Island resident.

By Dan Mesec, CICK News, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), global greenhouse gas emissions must be reduced to net zero between 2040 and 2055 in order to limit global warming to 1.5 Celsius above pre-industrial levels. The British Columbia government has pledged to reduce emissions by 80 per cent from 2007 levels by 2050 through its CleanBC Plan and the federal government has pledged that Canada will be net zero by 2050.