BRITISH COLUMBIA: Risks and opportunities in the global low-carbon transition

British Columbia is positioning itself for the low-carbon transition by leveraging a low-emissions electricity grid and a growing clean technology sector, though it faces risks from its reliance on metallurgical coal and natural gas exports. While the province has 175 transition-opportunity companies, primarily concentrated in Metro Vancouver, challenges remain regarding the domestic adoption of these technologies and the alignment of provincial policy to support small and medium-sized domestic firms. Vulnerable workers are concentrated in rural communities and among Indigenous populations, necessitating a shift in support toward new growth areas to ensure economic resilience.

• British Columbia's workforce exposure to transition-vulnerable sectors is among the lowest in Canada at 3%, with half of these workers in oil and gas or mining and quarrying, and the other half in emissions-intensive manufacturing such as chemicals, metals, and plastics.
• Transition risks are heavily concentrated in rural and remote communities and among Indigenous workers. For example, nearly half of the workforce in Elkford is employed at the Teck Coal mine, and high concentrations of oil and gas workers are found in Fort St. John (13%) and Dawson Creek (8%).
• The province faces economic risks due to its reliance on metallurgical coal and natural gas, which are among its two largest exports. While the fiscal impact of declining demand may be modest—with resource revenues totaling $2.2B in 2020–21 (approximately 4% of total government revenues)—the loss of high-paying jobs in these sectors could be disruptive.
• British Columbia has 175 companies active in transition-opportunity markets, with the highest concentrations in bioproducts and bioenergy (21%), low-carbon electricity (18%), and agricultural technology and alternative proteins (17%). Three-quarters of these companies are based in Metro Vancouver.
• Significant investments are flowing into the province's clean tech sector, including US$132M for fusion energy developer General Fusion in 2021, US$75M for CCUS company Svante in 2021, and US$62.5M for hydrogen producer Ekona Power in 2022.
• Policy misalignment and a lack of domestic adoption hinder the scaling of clean tech. Approximately 90% of clean tech revenues are expected to be generated outside the province over the next 3–5 years. Additionally, the British Columbia Utilities Commission does not include climate change as a core objective, and the province provided an estimated $530M in producer support for fossil fuels in 2020.

APA

Canadian Climate Institute (n.d.). BRITISH COLUMBIA: Risks and opportunities in the global low-carbon transition. https://climateinstitute.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/BC-profile.pdf

Chicago

Canadian Climate Institute. BRITISH COLUMBIA: Risks and opportunities in the global low-carbon transition. n.d. https://climateinstitute.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/BC-profile.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Canadian Climate Institute |title=BRITISH COLUMBIA: Risks and opportunities in the global low-carbon transition |url=https://climateinstitute.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/BC-profile.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{canadianclimateinstitutendbritish, author = {{Canadian Climate Institute}}, title = {{BRITISH COLUMBIA: Risks and opportunities in the global low-carbon transition}}, institution = {Canadian Climate Institute}, url = {https://climateinstitute.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/BC-profile.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }