The environmentalists have a point. Want to bet whether the air conditioners are turned on if it hits 30 C? Maybe they could hire the unemployed and give them huge fans. Naw. The conference would be over before anyone got security clearance.
Environmentalists unimpressed with premiers' token gestures
Chris Wattie, National Post
Published: Wednesday, August 08, 2007
Canada's premiers have vowed to turn a new, greener leaf for their three-day meeting in Moncton that began Wednesday by reducing their environmental "footprint" with measures such as reusable water bottles and a ban on idling cars and limousines.
But environmental groups say the leaders of the country's 10 provinces and three territories would have done the environment a better turn by staying home and holding the meeting by video conference call.
"The best thing they could've done is log on to the Web and done it all by video conferencing," said Bruce Cox, the executive director of Greenpeace Canada. "Not all meetings have to be face-to-face ... we've all got to rethink whether meetings are necessary and our leaders should be setting the example."
Climate change and the environment are among the main topics of the annual meeting, and while the 13 provincial and territorial leaders have been bringing forward strategies to deal with climate change and global warming, the conference hosts also wanted to reduce their impact on the environment.
"We want to look at ways that we can reduce greenhouse gas emissions," said Shawn Graham, the New Brunswick premier. "I'm sure a number of issues will be put on the table where we will be able to achieve consensus."
The conference organizers introduced a number of initiatives to ensure the conference will have a minimal impact on the environment, including using water coolers and reusable water bottles, using overhead projectors and other presentation methods to reduce paper use, serving only local food and banning idling vehicles at the conference.
The premiers and volunteers will also plant 900 trees after the conference to offset its carbon impact. "We're not only going to talk the talk, we're going to walk the walk," Mr. Graham said.
But Mr. Cox of Greenpeace remained unimpressed. "While we applaud all efforts large and small, they've certainly grasped the small," he said drily.
"Our leaders have to think bigger than this: They have to come to grips with concepts like emission-control targets and global warming."
The provincial and territorial leaders all flew into Moncton on charter flights or government jets and are being shuttled around the city in a fleet of minivans and SUVs. "They're grasping the small without really addressing the large," said Mr. Cox.
The 19C weather in Moncton Wednesday did not require staff at the 310-room Delta Beausejour, where the premiers are meeting, to turn on the air conditioning. But with heat and humidity forecast to rise above 30 today and Friday it is expected that the upscale hotel's massive air conditioners will be going full tilt later in the week.
Ian Bruce of the David Suzuki Foundation, said he was looking for more from the premiers than environmental tokenism. "It certainly won't be through planting a few trees that they'll solve the issue of global warming," he said.
"They'll have to come out of this meeting with some real agreements on the substantive issues."
Mr. Cox said that in any case, planting trees is not a recommended way to mitigate carbon impact, since they require a lot of care after planting and as many as 90% can die off within a few years. "A few small wind turbines in each of [the premiers'] provincial power grids would've made a much more lasting impact."
National Post
cwattie@nationalpost.com
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