Climate action
The Central Okanagan is experiencing the impacts of climate change today.
Wildfires, smoke, extreme heat, drought and flooding are becoming more frequent and severe, creating risks for residents, businesses, infrastructure and the environment. These risks are expected to increase, affecting our health, water, transportation, businesses and the natural environment that supports our quality of life. Taking action now can help reduce future costs, protect vulnerable residents and build a more resilient Central Okanagan.
What we’re doing
Regional Climate Resilience Strategy
The Regional Climate Resilience Strategy was created with technical and community input from across the region. The RDCO completed a Climate Risk and Vulnerability Assessment and a greenhouse gas emissions inventory, and gathered feedback through public engagement and partner workshops. This work identified the region's most significant climate risks and the actions needed to strengthen resilience and reduce emissions.
The Regional Climate Resilience Strategy contains 55 actions across seven focus areas:
- Community services & resilience
- Buildings, land use & development
- Water systems
- Natural assets & ecosystems
- Transportation & evacuation
- Economy & food systems
- Climate resilient RDCO governance
Measuring and reducing our impact
Understanding where our emissions come from allows us to make meaningful choices and take targeted action for investments in climate resilience. The RDCO is committed to building a more climate-resilient future by reducing emissions, improving energy efficiency and embedding sustainability in how we operate.
The RDCO collaborates with Fortis BC through the Climate Action Partners program. They fund the Senior Energy Specialist role, which looks for opportunities to lower emissions, improve energy efficiency and foster more affordable energy solutions at RDCO facilities and within the community.
The BC government provides funding to support local action to the RDCO through the Local Government Climate Action Program (LGCAP). Our annual survey reports are here:
Completed projects
We're taking concrete steps to lower emissions and build climate resilience. Funding from the LGCAP supported impactful projects in 2025, such as:
- Installed heat pumps at Joe Rich and Wilson's Landing fire halls
- Added eight electric vehicle chargers at the KLO building
- Purchased an electric Ford Lightning truck to our growing hybrid and electric fleet.
We've also leveraged funding through FortisBC rebates to install gas absorption heat pumps at two key facilities:
- Robert Hobson Environmental Education Centre for the Okanagan
- Ellison Heritage Community Centre
