British Columbia’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard

British Columbia’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard reduced transportation emissions by an average of 6% annually from 2010 to 2020 and is projected to drive 31% of the province's 2030 reduction targets. The document proposes expanding the regulation to include jet and marine fuels, as well as direct air capture with permanent storage, to address hard-to-abate sectors and negative emissions. To maximize effectiveness, the author recommends closing the incentive gap that currently favors renewable diesel over low-carbon jet fuel, incorporating indirect land-use change (ILUC) into carbon footprint measurements to support advanced biofuels, and allowing direct air capture credits for projects located outside British Columbia to accelerate technology deployment.

• The Low Carbon Fuel Standard has been a primary driver of emissions reductions in British Columbia's transportation sector, achieving an average annual decrease of six per cent between 2010 and 2020 and contributing to 31 per cent of the province's 2030 greenhouse gas reduction targets.
• Proposed expansions to include jet and marine fuels target sectors that are expected to represent 51 per cent of British Columbia's transportation greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. However, an existing incentive gap makes renewable diesel more economically attractive than low-carbon jet fuel due to differences in energy density and benchmark carbon intensity.
• The inclusion of direct air capture with permanent storage could establish British Columbia as a leader in negative emissions technology, but the author argues that restricting eligible projects to those within the province may hinder the speed of technology deployment and cost reduction.
• The current exclusion of indirect land-use change (ILUC) emissions from carbon footprint calculations disadvantages advanced biofuels by ignoring emissions from traditional biofuels that compete for arable land.

APA

Canadian Climate Institute (2022). British Columbia’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard. https://climateinstitute.ca/british-columbias-low-carbon-fuel-standard/

Chicago

Canadian Climate Institute. British Columbia’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard. 2022. https://climateinstitute.ca/british-columbias-low-carbon-fuel-standard/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Canadian Climate Institute |title=British Columbia’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard |date=29 June 2022 |url=https://climateinstitute.ca/british-columbias-low-carbon-fuel-standard/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{canadianclimateinstitute2022british, author = {{Canadian Climate Institute}}, title = {{British Columbia’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard}}, institution = {Canadian Climate Institute}, year = {2022}, month = jun, url = {https://climateinstitute.ca/british-columbias-low-carbon-fuel-standard/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }