Canada gets thumped with "Fossil" award for being huge greenhouse gas emitter

[Grimmlok]

DENNIS BUECKERT
CANADIAN PRESS


NAIROBI, Kenya—Canada took its lumps at the United Nations climate conference yesterday, tying with Australia in a "fossil of the day" award while being ranked near the bottom of an environmental group's list for efforts to combat global warming.

Some 189 countries are attending the two-week conference in Nairobi for talks to extend the Kyoto Protocol on global warming.

At a news conference, opposition MPs and environmentalists from Canada struck a common theme, saying the federal government's lukewarm position on the Kyoto pact doesn't reflect Canadian public opinion.

"The majority of Canadians are firmly and strongly behind living up to our Kyoto obligations," said John Godfrey, the Liberal environment critic.

"We are here because we want the world to know that Canadians are united in their commitment to the Kyoto Protocol," said Emilie Moorehouse of the Sierra Club.

Bloc Québécois environment critic Bernard Bigras quoted federal Environment Minister Rona Ambrose as saying "we are on track to meeting all our obligations under the Kyoto Protocol but not the targets."

"I don't think that's the position parliamentarians expect from the minister of the environment," he said.

Steven Guilbault of Greenpeace described Ambrose's statement as "misleading nonsense." He said the vast majority of Canadians believe the country should meet the targets set out in the international treaty.

Quebec Environment Minister Claude Béchard said Ambrose should reaffirm Canada's commitment to the climate treaty when she arrives in Nairobi today. "Until that's done, there's no point in talking about any targets whatever."

Quebec has developed its own plan to reduce greenhouse emissions — a program Béchard wants Ottawa to adopt. Béchard said he'll take every opportunity to talk about the province's plan with international delegates.

A news release from Ambrose's office says the minister will highlight Canada's "first-ever legislative plan to address air pollutants and greenhouse gas emissions."

It is apparently a reference to the Clean Air Act, which has been unanimously opposed by opposition parties and is unlikely to become law in its present form. In an unusual move, the bill is being sent to a parliamentary committee before second reading because opposition MPs don't support it even in principle.

The fossil award was distributed by the environmental group Climate Action Network to countries deemed to have contributed the least to progress in the climate talks.


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`The majority of Canadians are firmly and strongly behind living up to our

Kyoto obligations'

John Godfrey, Liberal environment critic

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And a Bonn-based development group, Germanwatch, placed Canada 51st out of 56 countries that were assessed for their performance and policies on climate change.

"Frankly, it's becoming embarrassing," said Guilbault of Greenpeace.

Sweden, Britain and Denmark won top ranking in the report, while Canada is among the bottom 10.

The only countries ranked below Canada are Kazakhstan, United States, China, Malaysia and Saudi Arabia.

The report ranks 56 countries that were part of a 1992 climate treaty or that contribute at least 1 per cent of the greenhouse gas emissions in the world. The countries make up 90 per cent of global carbon dioxide emissions.

The calculations took into account emissions levels, emissions trends and climate policy.

About one-quarter of the energy consumed in Sweden in 2003 came from renewable sources — more than four times as much as the European Union average of 6 per cent, according to EU statistics. The country with the worst ranking was Saudi Arabia, the world's largest oil exporter.

The United States and Australia are the only major industrialized countries to reject the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, which calls for mandatory cuts in greenhouse gases.

Canada, as a signatory to the treaty, promised to reduce emissions to 6 per cent below 1990 levels by 2008-2012. However, the Conservative government has said the country cannot meet Kyoto targets for pollution reduction — a position that critics see as a virtual abandonment of the treaty, even though Canada hasn't formally pulled out.

The Conservatives have opted to concentrate on clean air and smog reduction, rather than the wider problem of climate change. Ambrose has set a goal of cutting emissions by 45 to 65 per cent from 2003 levels — by the year 2050.

Meanwhile, a study released at the Nairobi conference says voracious water consumption by Alberta's oil sands threatens the quality and quantity of water available to Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories through the Mackenzie River system.

Oil sands operations draw most of their water from the Athabasca River, a tributary of the Mackenzie, and most of the water used is not returned to the river, says the study by the Sage Foundation and World Wildlife Fund-Canada.

Water allocations by Alberta to oil sands projects on the Athabasca River now add up to 359 million cubic metres per year, twice the amount of water required for Calgary.

http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/Con...path=News/News

Fucking neocons, rape the earth why don't you.

Environmental issues are at the forefront of Canadian identity, you can't just wish them away. People take pride in nature up here. They better get their shit together because canucks will vote out a gov purely for environmental reasons. It's happened before.

[ohmygoodness]

You know, UBC has committed and fulfulled all the Kyoto regulations for our campus. We've lowered all emissions by 25% even with a rise by 25% in admissions. And yet, we haven't broken the bank! Fancy that. Bloody Tories.

[Sojiita]

Bad, bad Canada! *smacks Canada's hand*

Bad, bad Canada! *smacks Canada's hand*

*just sell all of those fossil fuels to the US and let us burn them and pollute the earth..our government does not give a shit about the environment or what the rest of the world thinks so it will be no big deal here..and the sheep love their SUV's too much to give them up! Bring on the climate apocalypse!!!!!*

[moomies]

I don't think the Air Care system is working (is this only in BC/CIBC thing?)
I come across too many old cars with bad stinking fumes...

[pacific breeze]

Well, they only have it in the Lower Mainland. Anywhere else in BC, including Victoria, doesn't have Air Care. Maybe that's where they're coming from because I've noticed it too. Bear in mind that big trucks and semis, often the worst polluters, don't have to be Air Cared. The premier's business pals made sure of that.