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Kyoto Gets a Slap in the Face from Canada |
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By Stephen Leahy*
The
withdrawal from the Kyoto Protocol of one of the world's leaders
in fighting climate change could weaken a new agreement far beyond
the 2012 scope of the treaty.
TORONTO, Dec 2 (Tierramérica) - Much to the
surprise of most Canadians and the world community, Canada is reneging
on its international commitments under the 1997 Kyoto Protocol,
which could weaken an international agreement to fight climate change
after Kyoto expires in 2012.
Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, elected early this yer,
and the new environment minister, Rona Ambrose, have dismissed Canada's
Kyoto commitments for reducing greenhouse gases as impossible to
achieve.
They have also cancelled a five-million-dollar pledge to help least
developed countries adapt to the impacts of climate change and have
withdrawn Canada's participation and funding of the Kyoto Clean
Development Mechanism (CDM).
"That's totally irresponsible... It's a slap in the face to the
people of small island states and Inuit people of the North," said
Enele Sopoaga, permanent representative of Tuvalu to the United
Nations. His small island country in the South Pacific is experiencing
flooding due to rising sea levels.
"I am extremely frustrated by the double standards of industrialized
nations. Canada criticizes other countries about their human rights
policies or about the death penalty while they are playing with
the lives of island people and the Inuit," Sopoaga said in a Tierramérica
interview.
In an unusual move, Achim Steiner, executive director of the United
Nations Environment Program chastised Canada in the news media.
Appealing to the Canadian business sector, Steiner said that backing
away from Kyoto would harm the country's economy, and business would
be left out of the international emissions trading system that may
be worth 100 billion dollars by 2016.
Ironically, Canada had been a champion of the 1997 Kyoto Protocol
to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change to reduce greenhouse
gas emissions that contribute to the atmospheric greenhouse effect.
Under Kyoto, 35 industrialized nations, including Canada, are obligated
to reduce their emissions by 5.2 percent below 1990 levels by 2008-2012.
But Canada's emissions have risen 30 percent since 1990, mainly
due to a booming oil and natural gas sector. By comparison, U.S.
emissions rose 16 percent in the same period.
At the recent XII UN Conference on Climate Change, in Nairobi, Environment
Minister Rona Ambrose publicly blamed the previous Canadian government
for inaction on the matter.
Ambrose was widely criticised for that statement. Sopoaga says such
attitudes undermine the basis for international cooperation: "You
can't have a group of cowards come into power and say we're not
going to keep international commitments made by a previous government."
Canadians widely support the Kyoto Protocol and want action on climate
change. A public opinion poll taken Nov. 10-16 by Ipsos Reid found
that Canadians place climate change as a top issue of concern, more
important than jobs, the economy or health care.
"The climate change issue could bring down the government, (which)
is not listening to the people," Johanna Whitmore, of the Pembina
Institute, a Canadian environmental group, told Tierramérica.
In fact, most Canadians did not vote for Harper. Canada's multi-party
system allowed the Conservative Party to win with just 36 percent
of the popular vote. As a result, the Harper administration needs
the cooperation of at least one other party to stay in power.
Canada's oil, coal and gas sector is making the country rich. That
sector is responsible for much of the increase in emissions, and
the previous and current governments are reluctant to do anything
that might slow the energy boom.
As an alternative to Kyoto, the Harper government's "Made-in-Canada
climate plan", announced last month, set a goal of cutting emissions
of greenhouse gases 45 to 65 percent below 2003 levels by 2050.
Such a long-term goal allows the current government to postpone
action on climate change indefinitely, says Whitmore.
Unfortunately the Kyoto agreement doesn't have any financial penalties
for failing to meet the emissions reduction target. All that happens
is that countries have to make up for their shortfall plus an additional
1.3 percent penalty in the next reduction commitment period of 2013
to 2018.
In fact, the Harper government has cut funding for environmental
programs designed to reduce Canada's greenhouse gas emissions.
"By its actions, Canada's government shows that it doesn't think
climate change is a real issue," Whitmore said.
Canada's Inuit people, who live in the far north and Arctic areas,
know it's a real issue.
"We see signs every day up here. It's quite obvious," said Duane
Smith, president of the Inuit Circumpolar Council - Canada, from
Inuvik, a small town 200 km north of the Arctic Circle.
"Winter starts later and leaves sooner, there are changes in the
sea and river ice, we get more snow -- and its affecting all the
wildlife," Smith told Tierramérica.
Scientists have also documented a wide range of changes due to climate
change. Neither Harper nor Ambrose have visited Canada's far north
to see the impacts first hand, according to Smith.
"I believe very strongly that Canadians want more aggressive action
on the issue," he added.
* Stephen Leahy is an IPS correspondent.
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