Have your say on the 2025-2029 Climate Change Action Plan

October 16, 2024

Climate change is a serious threat to our territory’s economic, environmental, social, and cultural health, with the NWT experiencing rapid warming at up to four times the global rate and an increase in extreme weather events.

Recognizing this reality, the Government of Northwest Territories (GNWT) is inviting all NWT residents to learn about and provide feedback on the draft 2025-2029 Climate Change Action Plan. This new Action Plan will support the GNWT in reaching the overall goals outlined in the 2030 NWT Climate Change Strategic Framework.

The 2030 NWT Climate Change Strategic Framework 2019-2023 Action Plan was a key piece towards implementing this Framework. The GNWT is now developing the 2025-2029 Action Plan, which will continue to support the overall 2030 Framework and pick up where the last Action Plan left off.

To ensure the voices and opinions of Indigenous governments, Indigenous organizations, partners, not-for-profit organizations, the NWT Climate Change Council, the Climate Change Youth Council, and the public are heard, the GNWT is seeking feedback on the draft 2025-2029 Action Plan through an online Have Your Say portal from October 16 to November 27, 2024.

Engagement will be guided by Climate Change Strategic Framework Guiding Principles, including:

• Taking Action: The NWT is experiencing significant climate change impacts and must continue to take immediate action. Climate change considerations need to be included in all relevant planning, decision-making, and operations;
• Meeting Climate Change Commitments: The NWT has a responsibility to contribute to national and international efforts to address climate change, particularly in reducing fossil fuel use and GHG emissions;
• Sharing Responsibility: The responsibility for taking action on climate change is shared by all segments of NWT society, including governments, businesses, and residents;
• Strong Collaboration: Strengthening the collaboration between governments – including community and Indigenous governments, stakeholders and residents – on mitigation and adaptation actions, based on a recognition of rights, respect, cooperation, and partnership;
• Respecting Aboriginal and/or Treaty Rights: Climate change mitigation and adaptation decisions respect Aboriginal and Treaty rights, including land, resource and self-government agreements;
• Indigenous, Local, and Scientific Knowledge: Accessing all knowledge types to understand and make decisions related to climate impacts and adaptation measures; and
• Transparency and Accountability: Decisions made to implement the Framework are transparent and accountable.

The Have Your Say webpage will contain information about how to submit written input to the GNWT by answering a number of targeted questions and writing a free-form submission containing whatever input the participant chooses.

At the end of the engagement session, all feedback will be collected, analyzed, and used to complete a final Action Plan. The GNWT will also publish a “What We Heard Report” that summarizes the results of public engagement on the proposed Action Plan.

Importance of Climate Change Public Engagement:

• The GNWT recognizes the importance of engaging the public on a wide range of public policy issues and values the potential of collaborative decision-making. The public is more connected, educated, and informed than ever before and expects to participate in the decision-making process.
• Effective public engagement supports a transparent approach for decision-making, provides clarity of process, and enables collaboration.
• The GNWT intends to engage with the public on a wide range of climate change issues, including the GNWT’s intention to commit to net zero emissions by 2050. It will be important to work with Indigenous governments and Indigenous organizations, industry, community governments, utilities, and non-government organizations to determine how best to implement this commitment.

The deadline for public engagement submissions is November 27, 2024.

Quote

“Climate change is a serious threat to our territory’s economic, environmental, social, and cultural health, which makes engaging with the public in developing important plans like the 2025-2029 Climate Change Action Plan critical. Indigenous governments and organizations, communities, and residents will help guide the territory’s decisions related to climate impacts and adaptation for the future.“

– Jay Macdonald, Minister of Environment and Climate Change

Quick Facts

• GNWT commitments on climate action work towards three main goals outlined in the 2030 Climate Change Strategic Framework:

Goal 1: Transition to a lower carbon economy

Goal 2: Improve knowledge of climate impacts

Goal 3: Build resilience to adapt to a changing climate

• The 2025-2029 Action Plan will be the second Action Plan under the existing 2030 Climate Change Strategic Framework, which was released on May 1, 2018.

Related Links

• 2030 NWT Climate Change Strategic Framework & 2019-2023 Action Plan
• Have Your Say: 2025-2029 Climate Change Action

For media requests, please contact:

Environment and Climate Change

Government of the Northwest Territories

ECC_Communications@gov.nt.ca

NT5