Climate action resources for local governments
Last updated on March 6, 2026On this page, “local governments” includes municipal governments, regional districts and Modern Treaty Nations.
On this page
- Local climate action
- Climate Action Best Practice Guidebook
- Governance, planning and preparedness
- Climate-informed land use and development
- Resilient buildings and infrastructure
- Transportation and mobility
- Ecosystems and natural assets
- Economy, energy and waste management
- Emissions data and planning
Local climate action
Local governments are important partners in achieving shared climate goals. Together they control or influence more than half of Canada’s emissions. This work helps lower emissions in communities. It includes local rules, programs, and planning in areas such as:
- Buildings
- Transportation
- Water
- Waste
- Land use
The province partners with local governments across B.C. to take climate action. This work includes cutting emissions. It also includes preparing for climate change.
Learn more about how the Province supports local government climate action across British Columbia.
Climate mitigation
Through the CleanBC Roadmap to 2030, we’re taking action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. These actions support a low-carbon economy and clean technology.
Climate preparedness and adaptation
The Climate Preparedness and Adaptation Strategy shows how the Province is investing in adaptation. It helps communities adapt to, and prepare for, climate change.
Check out the Climate Preparedness and Adaptation Strategy
B.C. Climate Action Charter
All local governments in B.C. have signed the B.C. Climate Action Charter. Each one has committed to taking action on climate change.
To view examples of local climate action, see:
Climate Action Best Practice Guidebook
The Climate Action Best Practice Guidebook is a practical resource for B.C. Local Governments and Modern Treaty Nations. The guidebook supports planning and on-the-ground work. It’s flexible and can be adapted to meet local needs.
The guidebook supports communities to:
- Reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions
- Build climate resilience
- Design projects for small, medium, and large communities
- Match climate actions to local needs for jobs, people, and the environment
- Learn from successful approaches in other B.C. communities
View the:
Governance, planning and preparedness
Climate action starts with local data, decisions based on evidence, and open processes. Local data shows where emissions come from and the climate risks to communities. Leadership can use this data to understand risks and track emissions. This data helps set priorities and guides how communities use resources effectively.
Find key resources in the Guidebook on page 11: Governance, planning and preparedness
Additional resources
First Nation Adapt Program
The Indigenous Climate Hub supports communities south of the 60th parallel by funding First Nations led projects across Canada. This Hub also helps communities learn about and respond to local climate impacts. The program accepts project proposals all year.
Climate change and health in British Columbia
This project looks at how climate change affects health in B.C. It also looks at impacts on the health-care system and practical ways to build local resilience.
Climate resilience and asset management
The Green Municipal Fund (GMF) gives funding and support to communities across Canada. It helps them build cleaner and stronger communities.
A collection of resources from the GMF on climate action and asset management.
Explore climate resilience and asset management resources
A self-paced course from the GMF for municipal staff. It shows how to use asset management processes to plan for climate risks.
Harnessing climate data for resilient asset management
Climate model data is available through ClimateData.ca. This tool helps decision-makers plan for climate change. The data provides projections of key variables like temperature and rainfall. Use this data to assess how assets can age over time.
The Canadian Centre for Climate Services
This organization shares data, tools and guidance to support climate planning. Canadians can use this information to understand climate risks and plan for change.
Explore the Map of Adaptation Actions to see how communities and sectors across Canada are adapting to climate change.
Climate budgeting guide
This guide from the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives Canada helps staff plan budgets with climate goals in mind. The guide supports both new and experienced municipal leaders and staff.
Talking it through: Guide for local government staff on climate adaptation
The Green Municipal Fund (GMF) gives funding and support to communities across Canada. It helps them build cleaner and stronger communities.
Use the guide to support climate adaptation conversations in your community
Engaging Meaningfully: Leveraging Community Engagement to Advance Implementation
This guide from the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives Canada helps municipal staff find resources for local projects. The guide shares practical tips for building and supporting partnerships.
Climate Change, Intersectionality, and GBA+ in British Columbia
This project uses Gender-based Analysis Plus. It looks at how climate change affects different groups and considers differences such as sex, gender, race, age, and ability.
Climate change and health | Canadian Climate Institute
This Canadian Climate Institute resource shows how early climate action saves lives and lowers costs. Early investment helps protect people’s health and safety. Acting early also helps avoid higher costs later.
Climate-informed land use and development
Land use planning helps places grow in a sustainable way. Compact planning can reduce energy use in communities. It can also help them prepare for climate impacts by considering local hazards.
Find key resources in the Guidebook on page 15: Climate-informed land use & development
Additional resources
Sustainable Communities Program
B.C. Hydro works with local governments on community projects. They provide funding, technical help, and research. B.C. Hydro helps local teams plan and deliver climate action projects.
Toolkit: Making sustainable land use decisions in your municipality
This Federation of Canadian Municipalities toolkit explains how land use decisions can affect a community’s finances and emissions over time.
Changing Climate, Changing Communities: Guide and Workbook for Municipal Climate Adaptation
This is a framework from the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives Canada that helps local governments create adaptation plans. These plans help address relevant local climate change impacts.
Community Emergency Preparedness Fund
This funding from the Union of BC Municipalities helps communities prepare for emergencies. It also lowers the risk of future natural and climate-related hazards.
Community Resiliency Investment program
A provincial program that provides funding and support to communities to complete FireSmart™ initiatives. These initiatives include priority fuel management activities on provincial Crown land and on private land.
Emergency management financial supports
Funding options are available for Indigenous communities and local governments to support mitigation, response, and recovery. For additional funding opportunities visit ClimateReadyBC.
Plan2Adapt
This tool from the University of Victoria’s Pacific Climate Impacts Consortium provides information about projected climate change for regions across B.C. The data is based on a high emissions scenario (SSP5-8.5).
Climate Explorer
A tool from the University of Victoria’s Pacific Climate Impacts Consortium that lets users view, find and download climate data. The data describes projected climate conditions across Canada. Climate Explorer has more features and options than Plan2Adapt and is best suited for technical users.
Healthy built environment
The Population and Public Health program aims to support the creation of healthy built environments. These environments support physical, mental, and social health and well-being.
Health Impact Assessment Guidebook
This process looks at possible health impacts of a project, plan or policy. The process helps understand these impacts before moving forward.
Proximity Measures Data Viewer
This is a Statistics Canada data viewer for land use. The tool maps how close neighbourhood blocks are to local services and amenities like parks, transit and childcare.
Columbia Basin Climate Source
This resource supports residents and communities to take climate action. It helps them become more resilient to climate change impacts.
Resilient buildings and infrastructure
Improving buildings and infrastructure helps communities is many ways. Cutting emissions and lowering the price of energy helps keep costs down over time. Smart designs and upgrades also help keep people safe from climate risks. These risks include extreme heat or cold, flooding, and storms. When we plan for these problems, we can keep essential services working as the climate changes.
Find key resources in the Guidebook on page 18: Resilient buildings and infrastructure
Additional resources
Climate Lens Guide
This guide helps local governments and others review projects like roads, bridges, and water systems. The guide explains how to measure greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and helps understand climate risks. People can also use it for other types of projects, not just infrastructure.
Learn how to measure GHG emissions and climate risks (PDF, 1.2MB)
Building toward low cost and carbon
This Clean Energy Canada report explores efficient building design, and cleaner materials and power sources. The report shows how emissions can be reduced in building and infrastructure projects.
Asset Management for Sustainable Service Delivery
The Asset Management BC Framework offers guidance to help local governments manage services, assets, and finances in a sustainable way.
Explore the asset management framework for sustainable service delivery
Federal green buildings resources
This page lists federal funding and rules about green buildings. It also includes ways to access funding and other helpful resources.
CleanBC Better Buildings
This provincial funding helps local governments reduce emissions in public buildings, such as community centres.
Passive House Canada
This non-profit group supports the Passive House building standard. The group promotes the standard and teaches others how to use it.
Municipal Energy Roadmap
The Green Municipal Fund (GMF) gives funding and support to communities across Canada. It helps them build cleaner and stronger communities. This GMF report helps communities find the best way to cut greenhouse gas emissions from their buildings. These solutions help communities meet their long-term climate goals.
Use the Municipal Energy Roadmap to reduce building emissions
Climate Action Partners Program
This FortisBC program helps local governments reach their climate goals. It also explains how different groups can work together to lower emissions, as seen in the Province's CleanBC Roadmap (PDF, 9.4MB).
Learn how utilities and communities can work together on climate action
Transportation and mobility
How we design and build our communities has a big impact on B.C.’s greenhouse gas emissions. The province aims to cut emissions from transportation by 27 to 32 percent by 2030. It will do this by supporting cleaner ways to move people and goods. It will also support vehicles that use less energy and cleaner fuels.
Local governments help reach these goals by planning transportation and land use that make low-emission travel easier.
Find key resources in the Guidebook on page 23: Transportation and mobility
Additional resources
Active transportation
This provincial funding and support helps people use clean and low-cost ways to travel.
BC Active Communities
This is a guide for local governments across British Columbia. The guide helps create active and healthy places for all people.
To support active and healthy communities use the Active Communities Action Guide (PDF, 1.3MB)
BC Healthy Communities Society
This is a non-profit group that gives out grants and shares helpful resources. They work with community partners and offer services for a fee. The group includes people who plan projects and work with communities. They also support public health and community engagement.
Transportation Infrastructure Resilience and Adaptation to Climate Change
This is a provincial resource for transportation systems. The resource helps prepare systems for the future climate. It offers users advice, data, and tools. It also covers current and projected climate risks.
Access tools and guidance for climate-resilient transportation infrastructure
Go Electric Program
This provincial program encourages people in B.C. to use zero-emission vehicles. This initiative provides environmental and economic benefits to B.C.
Residential Electric Vehicle Charging: A Guide for Local Governments.
This is a guide from the City of Richmond on home electric vehicle charging. The guide helps local governments improve access to charging in new and existing buildings.
See the Residential Electric Vehicle Charging: A Guide for Local Governments (PDF, 1.5MB)
2025 Buyers for Climate Action Medium and Heavy-Duty Zero-Emission Vehicle (MHDZEV) Catalogue
This resource is a catalogue of zero-emission vehicles and a guide for buying fleets. The focus is on medium and heavy-duty vehicles. It shares lessons from buying and using these vehicles.
Ecosystems and natural assets
Natural assets are parts of nature like forests, wetlands, grasslands and waterways. They help communities in important ways. For example, trees clean the air, wetlands reduce flooding, and parks give people places to relax and play.
When we plan roads and buildings, we can use natural areas to help manage water and improve air quality. Nature can work together with what we build to make our communities stronger and healthier.
Considering nature in financial reports helps local governments see its value. This helps them to make better decisions to care for it.
Find key resources in the Guidebook on page 27: Ecosystem and natural assets
Additional resources
Natural asset management – Being smart with what we’ve got
This short video from the Natural Assets Initiative explains what natural assets are. It shows how nature supports communities and local services.
Implementing Natural Asset Management Within Local Government Settings
This is a workshop from Engineers and Geoscientists of British Columbia. It shows how communities can plan for and care for nature, like forests and wetlands, over time. The workshop shares clear examples that communities can follow.
Nature is Infrastructure: How to Include Natural Assets in Asset Management
This is a guidebook for local governments in Canada that explains how to manage natural assets when planning.
Learn how to include natural assets in asset management plans
Asset Management for Sustainable Service Delivery: A BC Framework
This is a planned approach designed to support local governments. The process covers services, assets, and finances.
Explore Asset Management for Sustainable Service Delivery: A B.C. Framework 2019 (PDF, 1.110 KB)
Natural Asset Management
Examples from the District of Saanich show how municipalities manage natural assets. Planning for these assets is a core part of asset management in B.C. communities.
Economy, energy and waste management
A sustainable economy depends on how people manage energy and waste. Many waste systems treat waste as something to throw away, instead of a resource. This increases emissions and limits energy recovery.
Circular practices reuse waste materials. These include organic waste, wastewater, and excess heat. These practices help meet climate goals and support community economic benefits.
Find key resources in the Guidebook on page 30: Economy, energy & waste management
Additional resources
Green procurement planning
These federal resources help users create a green procurement plan.
Guide to Best Practices and Green Criteria for Low-Carbon Food Procurement
This is a government guide for buying low-carbon food.
The National Zero Waste Council
This is an initiative led by Metro Vancouver. It connects governments, businesses, and non-profit groups. The initiative works to prevent waste in Canada and promote a circular economy.
Waste Management in B.C.
This resource explains how B.C. manages waste. It includes recycling, landfills and hazardous waste programs.
Municipal Solid Waste Disposal in B.C.
This data shows the estimated amount of solid waste disposed per person. Data is available for each regional district and B.C. as a whole.
B.C. municipal solid waste data at the community level
This spreadsheet shows community energy use and greenhouse gas emissions. The Province uses it to update the provincial Community Energy and Emissions Inventory (CEEI).
Access community-level waste and emissions data (XLSX, 1.5KB)
B.C.’s Recycling Regulation
This program explains B.C.’s recycling rules for companies that make or sell products. It shows which products you can recycle and where.
Learn about recycling requirements and producer responsibilities
Coast Waste Management Association
This group of people work on issues related to solid waste. The group supports discussion, learning, and networking.
Solid Waste Association of North America’s Pacific chapter
This is a membership group for waste professionals in B.C. and the Yukon. They offer training, certification, and networking.
Find training and certification for waste management professionals
B.C. Community Energy Solutions
This resource helps communities in B.C. work on local energy projects. It explains the steps to apply for funding and where to find support.
Emissions data and planning
Local data supports planning, action, and tracking progress. It helps show where emissions come from and helps guide action. The data also helps set local reduction goals.
Additional resources
Local Government Climate Action Program data visualization
This tool shows climate action data from local governments. You can view the data by population size and region. You can explore and filter the information to see local trends.
Becoming Carbon Neutral Guidebook
This guidebook is for local government operations in B.C. It provides practical steps to reduce emissions.
Tools for Carbon Neutral Projects
The Province provides resources that help B.C. communities reach their carbon neutral goals. These include tools that estimate energy use and emissions from local projects.
Each project type below includes a guide and a calculator. The guide shows ways to lower emissions. The calculator shows how much energy you save and how you reduce emissions.
GHG Calculator for Municipal Projects
This free tool helps municipal staff across all departments see how their choices affect the climate.
Guidebook on Quantifying Greenhouse Gas Reductions at the Project Levels
This is a guidebook from the Federation of Canadian Municipalities. It includes steps and examples for local projects and reporting. Examples show energy use and emissions for different project types.
See the Guide to Quantifying Greenhouse Gas Emission Reductions at the Project Level (PDF, 2.2MB)
Federal methods and tools for measuring carbon emissions
This project is from Public Services and Procurement. It has tools that show the emissions from everyday goods and services. The tools look at things like light-duty vehicles, office furniture, and professional services.