iN NUMBERS: The progress on the fight against climate change in Thompson-Okanagan

Here is your regularly scheduled reminder that the environment is falling apart, with a dose of data on what we’re collectively trying to do to help in the Thompson-Okanagan region.

It’s not all doom and gloom as governments, non-profits and even average folks are making a difference.

These are the numbers:

• 2.2: Billion dollars spent by the provincial government on climate initiatives in the 2023-2024 fiscal year.
• 350,000: Dollars for water conservation projects through the Okanagan Basin Water Board this year.
• 30: Badgers are left in the Okanagan, so environmental groups are partnering with the government to save them.
• 25: Regional District of Central Okanagan parks were recognized as part of Canada’s national conservation network.
• 80: Acres donated by an anonymous landowner were recently turned into a private conservation covenant in North Okanagan.
• 43: Wildlife act charges and 10 criminal charges were filed against a group of influencer poachers in the Southern Interior earlier this year.
• 6,041: Hectares of the Central Okanagan are considered sensitive ecosystems, the equivalent of 16,550 football fields.
• 25: Per cent of endangered vertebrates in Canada live in the Southern Interior.
• 3: Endangered butterfly species in the Okanagan-Similkameen region that are being defended by the Okanagan Siilkamen Stweardship Society.
• 1.5: Million dollars in the environment planning and zoning budgeted this year by the Thompson-Nicola Regional District.