Showing posts with label Canadian environmental policy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Canadian environmental policy. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Cleaning up contaminated sites to cost 7.7 billion
Scott Vaughan the Canadian environment commissioner says that the bill to cleanup contaminated sites owned by the federal government will be about 7.7 billions dollars. The government has made progress. It has cleaned up 9,000 sites across Canada. However, 13,000 still remain to be decontaminated.
Vaughan said of the remaining sites: "Many of these sites are buried and out of the public eye, but they will impose human health risks and environmental and financial burdens for generations to come." Vaughan's report also dealt with other issues including the government's 2020 target of having greenhouse gases 17 per cent below 2005.
Vaughan points out: “Environment Canada’s own forecast shows that in 2020, Canada’s emissions will be seven per cent above the 2005 level, not 17 percent below it,” Regulations are being drawn up for each sector. Even those three that have been written do not come into effect until 2015. There are no regulations even written yet for the oil and gas sector. These are the fastest growing emitters of greenhouse gases. For much more see this article.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Climate panel presses for cap and trade system
It seems that neither the Liberals nor the Conservatives actually took much action on cap and trade but now that Obama is moving in that direction perhaps Harper will follow suit. However, Harper seems to prefer a policy of hot air as far as the environment is concerned not that the federal Liberals were that much different. The Liberals talked more progressively but did very little.
Climate panel presses for cap-and-trade system
Ottawa urged to target entire economy, not just heavy industry, and do away with patchwork approach to emissions adopted by provinces
BILL CURRY
Globe and Mail Update
April 16, 2009 at 1:00 PM EDT
OTTAWA — An effective Canadian climate change plan must target the entire economy and not just heavy industry, according to a federal advisory report released today that recommends a national cap-and-trade system.
The report from the National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy also says Ottawa should step in to do away with the patchwork of climate-change rules popping up in various provinces so that business can work with a single, more efficient, national system.
That recommendation comes in the midst of a provincial election campaign in British Columbia, where the future of the province's carbon tax is a central issue.
According to a summary of the report, the panel concludes that while a carbon tax gives business more certainly, a cap-and-trade system is the best way to ensure Canada actually meets the emission targets it has set for 2020 and 2050.
The basic premise behind both a carbon tax and a cap-and-trade system are essentially the same. Both aim to make high-polluting activities — such as driving large SUVs or relying on coal — more expensive.
The difference is that a carbon tax imposes that higher price directly on the consumer as a distinct tax on their gas or heating bill, whereas the cost to the consumer of a cap-and-trade system is usually passed on by businesses.
In the cap-and-trade system proposed by the panel, all businesses would have to buy credits to cover the emissions they produce. If a company's emissions exceed the cap set by government, they would have to buy more credits from companies that came in under the cap. Such a system creates financial incentives for companies to reduce their emissions because they can then avoid having to buy more credits and also be in a position to make money selling their unused emission credits.
To date, Canada's approach — both under the Liberals and the Conservatives — has been to work toward a cap-and-trade system for “heavy final emitters,” which consist primarily of factories and electricity generation. However neither government ever moved the idea beyond the negotiation stage.
The panel proposes a system in which fuel distributors must buy credits to account for the end use of emissions, either through heating costs of homes and buildings or tailpipe emissions.
“Under the proposed policy the Canadian economy, as a whole, would continue to grow under the proposed carbon pricing policy but at a somewhat reduced rate,” the panel says in news release. “Some sectors, regions and Canadians would be impacted more significantly than others but this can be addressed through the design of the proposed policy and auction revenue recycling measures targeted at households and businesses.”
The report also recommends Canadian firms be allowed to purchase credits from other countries with cap-and-trade systems. This option has been strongly opposed by the Conservatives, who have said such purchases do little to reduce emissions at home.
The report forecasts that as a result of implementing such a plan, economic growth would be reduced by between one and two per cent in 2020 and four to six per cent in 2050.
The Conservative government announced a plan called Turning the Corner in 2006 that called for Canada's emissions to decrease 20 per cent by 2020. The new U.S. administration has promised an economy-wide cap-and-trade system in place by 2012. Canada's Environment Minister, Jim Prentice, has said Ottawa's approach is currently under review as the government attempts to align its climate change plan with the United States.
2009 is an important year for setting climate change policy as world leaders are scheduled for a key meeting this December in Copenhagen. There the international community will decide whether to launch a new international climate change regime to extend the Kyoto Protocol, which only applied to emissions from 2008 to 2012.
The Liberal government pledged Canada would reduce Canada's annual emissions to 558.4 megatonnes of greenhouse gases, or six per cent below 1990 levels, during that period.
According to Environment Canada, Canada is on pace to be 29.1 per cent above that target. Canada's emissions have decreased 2.8 per cent between 2003 and 2006, primarily because the electricity mix is shifting away from coal and towards hydro and nuclear power. Warmer winters during those three years also led to reduced demand for heating fuels.
Climate panel presses for cap-and-trade system
Ottawa urged to target entire economy, not just heavy industry, and do away with patchwork approach to emissions adopted by provinces
BILL CURRY
Globe and Mail Update
April 16, 2009 at 1:00 PM EDT
OTTAWA — An effective Canadian climate change plan must target the entire economy and not just heavy industry, according to a federal advisory report released today that recommends a national cap-and-trade system.
The report from the National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy also says Ottawa should step in to do away with the patchwork of climate-change rules popping up in various provinces so that business can work with a single, more efficient, national system.
That recommendation comes in the midst of a provincial election campaign in British Columbia, where the future of the province's carbon tax is a central issue.
According to a summary of the report, the panel concludes that while a carbon tax gives business more certainly, a cap-and-trade system is the best way to ensure Canada actually meets the emission targets it has set for 2020 and 2050.
The basic premise behind both a carbon tax and a cap-and-trade system are essentially the same. Both aim to make high-polluting activities — such as driving large SUVs or relying on coal — more expensive.
The difference is that a carbon tax imposes that higher price directly on the consumer as a distinct tax on their gas or heating bill, whereas the cost to the consumer of a cap-and-trade system is usually passed on by businesses.
In the cap-and-trade system proposed by the panel, all businesses would have to buy credits to cover the emissions they produce. If a company's emissions exceed the cap set by government, they would have to buy more credits from companies that came in under the cap. Such a system creates financial incentives for companies to reduce their emissions because they can then avoid having to buy more credits and also be in a position to make money selling their unused emission credits.
To date, Canada's approach — both under the Liberals and the Conservatives — has been to work toward a cap-and-trade system for “heavy final emitters,” which consist primarily of factories and electricity generation. However neither government ever moved the idea beyond the negotiation stage.
The panel proposes a system in which fuel distributors must buy credits to account for the end use of emissions, either through heating costs of homes and buildings or tailpipe emissions.
“Under the proposed policy the Canadian economy, as a whole, would continue to grow under the proposed carbon pricing policy but at a somewhat reduced rate,” the panel says in news release. “Some sectors, regions and Canadians would be impacted more significantly than others but this can be addressed through the design of the proposed policy and auction revenue recycling measures targeted at households and businesses.”
The report also recommends Canadian firms be allowed to purchase credits from other countries with cap-and-trade systems. This option has been strongly opposed by the Conservatives, who have said such purchases do little to reduce emissions at home.
The report forecasts that as a result of implementing such a plan, economic growth would be reduced by between one and two per cent in 2020 and four to six per cent in 2050.
The Conservative government announced a plan called Turning the Corner in 2006 that called for Canada's emissions to decrease 20 per cent by 2020. The new U.S. administration has promised an economy-wide cap-and-trade system in place by 2012. Canada's Environment Minister, Jim Prentice, has said Ottawa's approach is currently under review as the government attempts to align its climate change plan with the United States.
2009 is an important year for setting climate change policy as world leaders are scheduled for a key meeting this December in Copenhagen. There the international community will decide whether to launch a new international climate change regime to extend the Kyoto Protocol, which only applied to emissions from 2008 to 2012.
The Liberal government pledged Canada would reduce Canada's annual emissions to 558.4 megatonnes of greenhouse gases, or six per cent below 1990 levels, during that period.
According to Environment Canada, Canada is on pace to be 29.1 per cent above that target. Canada's emissions have decreased 2.8 per cent between 2003 and 2006, primarily because the electricity mix is shifting away from coal and towards hydro and nuclear power. Warmer winters during those three years also led to reduced demand for heating fuels.
Saturday, December 13, 2008
May: Embarassing to be a Canadian at Climate talks
Well out of 57 countries we managed to beat only Saudia Arabia in fighting climate change. Even Bush managed to do better! Of course Harper will continue to tout his environmental policies. Given the economic situation and that some green policies might impose costs on some Harper's poor performance may not hurt him all that much. Dion certainly did not prosper with his Green plans. Ignatieff so far has said little about the environment as far as I have seen.
'Embarrassing' to be a Canadian at climate talks: Green party leader
Last Updated: Saturday, December 13, 2008 1:32 PM ET
CBC News
The UN climate conference in Poznan, Poland, was a "mark of shame" for Canada, Green Party Leader Elizabeth May said on Saturday.
Delegates from poorer nations were angry at Canada for not meeting its commitments under the Kyoto protocol, as well as all industrialized countries for stalling on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, May told CBC News.
During the conference, which began Dec. 1, Canada won several Fossil of the Day Awards, announced by Climate Action Network International, a group that includes more than 400 non-governmental organizations.
"It was embarrassing being a Canadian at these meetings," May said.
"Canada, unfortunately, was about the worst performer here, and that's saying a lot. That means worse than the United States with the lame-duck Bush administration, still doing what it can to obstruct.
"But in the negotiations, Canada, I say, won. It's really a mark of shame," she said.
May said the mood was anything but upbeat as the talks came to a close with a post-midnight session, ending early Saturday, nine hours after the conference had been due to close.
May sees no real progress at talks
"The speeches at the end of the session really were tinged with regret, and, from some countries, outright anger that the industrialized countries have been taking their time, coming up with excuses," May said.
"There was not real progress made here. It was basically an agreement to keep on talking," she added.
Environmental groups have criticized Canada for its plans to use 2006 as a base year for calculating greenhouse gas emission reductions, instead of the year 1990, as outlined in the Kyoto agreement.
The Climate Change Performance Index, an assessment compiled by environmental groups Germanwatch and Climate Action Network Europe, ranked Canada second last out of the 57 largest greenhouse-gas emitters in its performance in fighting climate change, ahead of only Saudi Arabia.
Environment Minister Jim Prentice defended his government's performance, saying Canada's delegates had constructive dialogues with other countries.
"Not everyone necessarily agrees with our positions," he said. "However, we have been quite clear that we wish to be a constructive force in concluding an effective international protocol.
"I have engaged in bilaterals with many of the countries that are here and will continue to do that as we work toward Copenhagen."
Delegations from nearly 190 countries are negotiating a new climate change pact, to be completed next December in the Danish capital of Copenhagen, that would succeed the Kyoto Protocol when it expires in 2012.
'Embarrassing' to be a Canadian at climate talks: Green party leader
Last Updated: Saturday, December 13, 2008 1:32 PM ET
CBC News
The UN climate conference in Poznan, Poland, was a "mark of shame" for Canada, Green Party Leader Elizabeth May said on Saturday.
Delegates from poorer nations were angry at Canada for not meeting its commitments under the Kyoto protocol, as well as all industrialized countries for stalling on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, May told CBC News.
During the conference, which began Dec. 1, Canada won several Fossil of the Day Awards, announced by Climate Action Network International, a group that includes more than 400 non-governmental organizations.
"It was embarrassing being a Canadian at these meetings," May said.
"Canada, unfortunately, was about the worst performer here, and that's saying a lot. That means worse than the United States with the lame-duck Bush administration, still doing what it can to obstruct.
"But in the negotiations, Canada, I say, won. It's really a mark of shame," she said.
May said the mood was anything but upbeat as the talks came to a close with a post-midnight session, ending early Saturday, nine hours after the conference had been due to close.
May sees no real progress at talks
"The speeches at the end of the session really were tinged with regret, and, from some countries, outright anger that the industrialized countries have been taking their time, coming up with excuses," May said.
"There was not real progress made here. It was basically an agreement to keep on talking," she added.
Environmental groups have criticized Canada for its plans to use 2006 as a base year for calculating greenhouse gas emission reductions, instead of the year 1990, as outlined in the Kyoto agreement.
The Climate Change Performance Index, an assessment compiled by environmental groups Germanwatch and Climate Action Network Europe, ranked Canada second last out of the 57 largest greenhouse-gas emitters in its performance in fighting climate change, ahead of only Saudi Arabia.
Environment Minister Jim Prentice defended his government's performance, saying Canada's delegates had constructive dialogues with other countries.
"Not everyone necessarily agrees with our positions," he said. "However, we have been quite clear that we wish to be a constructive force in concluding an effective international protocol.
"I have engaged in bilaterals with many of the countries that are here and will continue to do that as we work toward Copenhagen."
Delegations from nearly 190 countries are negotiating a new climate change pact, to be completed next December in the Danish capital of Copenhagen, that would succeed the Kyoto Protocol when it expires in 2012.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Harper: Developing countries must shoulder more carbon cuts.
Harper is hopeless as far as environmental policy is concerned. It is the developed countries that have for years brought us to the environmental crisis we now face and enjoyed the high standard of living (or consumption and waste) that has gone along with unchecked industrial development. Now it is the developing countries that are to bear the brunt of the solution. Obviously Harper could care less how arrogant this must seem to developing countries. As long as George Bush smiles at his Canadian buddy all is well I guess.
It is unlikely that developing countries will sign on to anything presented to them by the likes of George Bush and Stephen Harper. The next president of the U.S. will likely not be quite as bad as Bush so we might see some slight improvement in the position of Harper within a year or so. However, it is a mathematical certainty that Harper will not be a world leader in environmental policy.
Harper adds it up: developing countries must shoulder more carbon cuts
Last Updated: Wednesday, July 9, 2008
CBC News
As the Group of Eight summit wrapped up in northern Japan on Wednesday, Prime Minister Stephen Harper said it's a "mathematical certainty" that developing countries will bear the brunt of the work in lowering global greenhouse gas emissions.
His comments to reporters in the resort town of Toyako came as several developing countries reportedly balked at climate change targets proposed by the G8 countries the previous day.
The major industrial countries represented by the G8 set a goal Tuesday to halve emissions that contribute to global warming by 2050, though no international baseline year was set and the plan lacked midterm goals.
Harper said that by 2050, developed nations will likely account for no more than 20 per cent of global carbon emissions.
"So, when we say we need participation by developing countries, this is not a philosophical position. This is a mathematical certainty," he told Canadian reporters at a news conference Wednesday.
"You can't get a 50 per cent cut from 20 per cent of emissions."
Slowing rate might suffice
The prime minister points out that doesn't mean emerging economies will need to cut their carbon output; slowing the rate by which their emissions grow might suffice.
"I don't think the argument that we should do more if others are not doing anything at all will be a very credible argument that will get anybody very far," he said.
"It's an interesting argument, but it can't be made by those who aren't doing anything. So I think the pressure will be on them to do something."
But developing countries appear uneasy with proposed targets set out by G8 leaders.
A Japanese official told reporters that five developing nations — China, India, Brazil, Mexico and South Africa — rejected targets at a U.S.-brokered meeting between developed and developing countries on Wednesday.
It is unlikely that developing countries will sign on to anything presented to them by the likes of George Bush and Stephen Harper. The next president of the U.S. will likely not be quite as bad as Bush so we might see some slight improvement in the position of Harper within a year or so. However, it is a mathematical certainty that Harper will not be a world leader in environmental policy.
Harper adds it up: developing countries must shoulder more carbon cuts
Last Updated: Wednesday, July 9, 2008
CBC News
As the Group of Eight summit wrapped up in northern Japan on Wednesday, Prime Minister Stephen Harper said it's a "mathematical certainty" that developing countries will bear the brunt of the work in lowering global greenhouse gas emissions.
His comments to reporters in the resort town of Toyako came as several developing countries reportedly balked at climate change targets proposed by the G8 countries the previous day.
The major industrial countries represented by the G8 set a goal Tuesday to halve emissions that contribute to global warming by 2050, though no international baseline year was set and the plan lacked midterm goals.
Harper said that by 2050, developed nations will likely account for no more than 20 per cent of global carbon emissions.
"So, when we say we need participation by developing countries, this is not a philosophical position. This is a mathematical certainty," he told Canadian reporters at a news conference Wednesday.
"You can't get a 50 per cent cut from 20 per cent of emissions."
Slowing rate might suffice
The prime minister points out that doesn't mean emerging economies will need to cut their carbon output; slowing the rate by which their emissions grow might suffice.
"I don't think the argument that we should do more if others are not doing anything at all will be a very credible argument that will get anybody very far," he said.
"It's an interesting argument, but it can't be made by those who aren't doing anything. So I think the pressure will be on them to do something."
But developing countries appear uneasy with proposed targets set out by G8 leaders.
A Japanese official told reporters that five developing nations — China, India, Brazil, Mexico and South Africa — rejected targets at a U.S.-brokered meeting between developed and developing countries on Wednesday.
Saturday, December 8, 2007
Canada fourth-worst climate sinner, study finds.
It is interesting that India and Mexico are among the better countries. As the article shows we have not improved but become worse under the Conservatives for all their hot air about leadership. Surely the hollowness of Harper rhetoric will become evident to more people and hurt his popularity. But the Liberal record will not help them. Perhaps the NDP and Green's can profit from this.
No doubt the Conservatives will form an alliance with the most regressive countries on climate change with United States as pack leader.
Canada fourth-worst climate sinner, study finds
Last Updated: Friday, December 7, 2007 | 1:31 PM ET
CBC News
Canada is near the bottom of the barrel in a study that ranked countries based on their climate-change performances.
The study, released Friday by environmental organizations Germanwatch and Climate Action Network Europe, compared the 56 countries who produce an estimated 90 per cent of the world's carbon dioxide emissions.
The countries were ranked based on the amount of emissions they produced over the past year, the amount of reductions they made to their emissions levels and the strength of their climate-change policies.
The five lowest ranked countries, starting with the worst, were:
Saudi Arabia
The United States
Australia
Canada
Luxembourg
The five best countries were:
Sweden
Germany
Iceland
Mexico
India
Canada, with its overall ranking of 53rd out of 56 countries, has fallen from last year, when it was ranked 51st.
"The [Canadian] government is still not making a serious effort to cut greenhouse gas pollution, and that leaves Canada at the back of the pack," Matthew Bramley of the Pembina Institute said in a news release.
The Pembina Institute, a Canadian environmental organization, contributed to the study.
"The gap between the government’s rhetoric and its action to date severely weakens Canada’s credibility here in Bali," Bramley said.
The study was released as officials from 190 countries were meeting in Bali, Indonesia to negotiate the framework for a new international climate change treaty that will replace the 1997 Kyoto Protocol when it expires in 2012.
Environment Minister John Baird is leading the Canadian delegation at the two-week conference and has said he will insist major emitters like the U.S., China and India are full participants in any new treaty that is drafted.
The U.S never signed Kyoto, while India and China were exempt from Kyoto's emissions reductions targets because of their fragile, developing economies.
'Hypocrisy in Canada's approach'
Bramley, in an interview from Bali, said Canada is making unrealistic demands on other countries, considering the poor job it's doing, according to the study.
Bramley said Canada could have boosted its ranking over last year by at least 20 positions, to the middle of the pack, if it had strengthened its government policies overseeing areas like industrial emissions.
"Minister Baird is taking some highly obstructive positions coming into these negotiations, particularly the kinds of demands that he's making of developing countries," Bramley said.
"When we see how poorly Canada is performing on climate change, it really points to a kind of hypocrisy in Canada's approach."
Baird and the Conservative government have pledged to reduce Canada's overall emissions by 20 per cent from 2006 levels by 2020, but environmentalists and opposition members of parliament have attacked this plan because it fails to meet Canada's Kyoto obligations.
Under Kyoto, which was signed by Canada under a Liberal government in 1998, Canada is expected to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by six per cent from 1990 levels by 2012.
Kyoto was ratified by 141 countries, with each having slightly different targets to meet in an effort to reduce overall global emissions by about five per cent from 1990 levels.
China won't agree to mandatory targets
At the conference in Bali on Friday, some environmentalists and government officials praised China for its efforts to become more environmentally sound. The Asian country ranked 40th on the study's list of 56 countries, up from 44th the year before.
Even though China is surpassing the U.S. as the world's top emitter of greenhouse gases, some officials say it has made serious efforts to enhance its energy efficiency and promote its renewable energy.
"I think China is taking climate change seriously and that's a good sign that there will be a good outcome here in Bali," said Artur Runge-Metzger, who heads the European Commission delegation at the conference.
On Friday, China said it is ready to negotiate a new treaty, but cannot sign on to any mandatory emissions targets, despite Canadian and American insistence that all emitters be fully onboard any new agreement.
"China is in the process of industrialization and there is a need for economic growth to meet the basic needs of the people and fight against poverty," Su Wei, a member of China's delegation in Bali, said Friday.
China has questioned the fairness of binding cuts when its per capita emissions are only about one-sixth of the U.S.A's. The country also argues that it has only been pumping pollutants into the atmosphere for a few decades, compared to the long industrial history of Western countries.
"I just wonder whether it's fair to ask developing countries like China to take on binding targets or mandatory targets," Su said.
"I think there is much more room for the United States to … change its lifestyle and consumption patterns in order to contribute to the protection of the global climate."
With files from the Associated Press and Canadian
No doubt the Conservatives will form an alliance with the most regressive countries on climate change with United States as pack leader.
Canada fourth-worst climate sinner, study finds
Last Updated: Friday, December 7, 2007 | 1:31 PM ET
CBC News
Canada is near the bottom of the barrel in a study that ranked countries based on their climate-change performances.
The study, released Friday by environmental organizations Germanwatch and Climate Action Network Europe, compared the 56 countries who produce an estimated 90 per cent of the world's carbon dioxide emissions.
The countries were ranked based on the amount of emissions they produced over the past year, the amount of reductions they made to their emissions levels and the strength of their climate-change policies.
The five lowest ranked countries, starting with the worst, were:
Saudi Arabia
The United States
Australia
Canada
Luxembourg
The five best countries were:
Sweden
Germany
Iceland
Mexico
India
Canada, with its overall ranking of 53rd out of 56 countries, has fallen from last year, when it was ranked 51st.
"The [Canadian] government is still not making a serious effort to cut greenhouse gas pollution, and that leaves Canada at the back of the pack," Matthew Bramley of the Pembina Institute said in a news release.
The Pembina Institute, a Canadian environmental organization, contributed to the study.
"The gap between the government’s rhetoric and its action to date severely weakens Canada’s credibility here in Bali," Bramley said.
The study was released as officials from 190 countries were meeting in Bali, Indonesia to negotiate the framework for a new international climate change treaty that will replace the 1997 Kyoto Protocol when it expires in 2012.
Environment Minister John Baird is leading the Canadian delegation at the two-week conference and has said he will insist major emitters like the U.S., China and India are full participants in any new treaty that is drafted.
The U.S never signed Kyoto, while India and China were exempt from Kyoto's emissions reductions targets because of their fragile, developing economies.
'Hypocrisy in Canada's approach'
Bramley, in an interview from Bali, said Canada is making unrealistic demands on other countries, considering the poor job it's doing, according to the study.
Bramley said Canada could have boosted its ranking over last year by at least 20 positions, to the middle of the pack, if it had strengthened its government policies overseeing areas like industrial emissions.
"Minister Baird is taking some highly obstructive positions coming into these negotiations, particularly the kinds of demands that he's making of developing countries," Bramley said.
"When we see how poorly Canada is performing on climate change, it really points to a kind of hypocrisy in Canada's approach."
Baird and the Conservative government have pledged to reduce Canada's overall emissions by 20 per cent from 2006 levels by 2020, but environmentalists and opposition members of parliament have attacked this plan because it fails to meet Canada's Kyoto obligations.
Under Kyoto, which was signed by Canada under a Liberal government in 1998, Canada is expected to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by six per cent from 1990 levels by 2012.
Kyoto was ratified by 141 countries, with each having slightly different targets to meet in an effort to reduce overall global emissions by about five per cent from 1990 levels.
China won't agree to mandatory targets
At the conference in Bali on Friday, some environmentalists and government officials praised China for its efforts to become more environmentally sound. The Asian country ranked 40th on the study's list of 56 countries, up from 44th the year before.
Even though China is surpassing the U.S. as the world's top emitter of greenhouse gases, some officials say it has made serious efforts to enhance its energy efficiency and promote its renewable energy.
"I think China is taking climate change seriously and that's a good sign that there will be a good outcome here in Bali," said Artur Runge-Metzger, who heads the European Commission delegation at the conference.
On Friday, China said it is ready to negotiate a new treaty, but cannot sign on to any mandatory emissions targets, despite Canadian and American insistence that all emitters be fully onboard any new agreement.
"China is in the process of industrialization and there is a need for economic growth to meet the basic needs of the people and fight against poverty," Su Wei, a member of China's delegation in Bali, said Friday.
China has questioned the fairness of binding cuts when its per capita emissions are only about one-sixth of the U.S.A's. The country also argues that it has only been pumping pollutants into the atmosphere for a few decades, compared to the long industrial history of Western countries.
"I just wonder whether it's fair to ask developing countries like China to take on binding targets or mandatory targets," Su said.
"I think there is much more room for the United States to … change its lifestyle and consumption patterns in order to contribute to the protection of the global climate."
With files from the Associated Press and Canadian
Saturday, November 24, 2007
Commonwealth Steers Clear of Binding Emissions Targets
Anyone who thinks that Harper has the slightest intention of providing leadership in reducing global emissions must by now know
that he is a leader only in going backwards and following the same reactionary policies as the US.
Harper pointed out that Canada's position at the Commonwealth is the same to one it took at the G-8 and APEC summits earlier this year
This is true. Harper is consistently reactionary. Harper wants to do nothing until developing nations also commit themselves even though developed nations produce many times the pollution per capita than developing nations. The developed nations should lead not follow but Canada only wants to follow our pack leader the USA. Now that Australia has a new government committed to Kyoto Harper will have to take over as the chief errand boy in the Commonwealth for US interests.
Commonwealth steers clear of binding emissions targets
Harper calls for climate change protocol for all major polluters
Last Updated: Saturday, November 24, 2007 | 6:29 PM ET
CBC News
Leaders of the 53-member Commonwealth produced a statement on Saturday stripped of any reference to binding targets for greenhouse gas emissions.
Canada and Australia had been the lone holdouts against calls to compel each member country into meeting certain targets, as outlined in a draft version of the document circulated earlier at the conference in Uganda's capital, Kampala.
) The final statement, issued on the second day of the three-day summit, said that next month's climate change talks in Bali, Indonesia should be "inclusive in nature and should work towards outcomes that are ambitious, comprehensive, equitable, have respect for different national circumstances, and provide for flexibility in addressing climate change.
"Our shared goal should be to achieve a comprehensive post-2012 global agreement that strengthens, broadens, and deepens current arrangements and leads to reduced emissions of global greenhouse gases.
"This should include a long-term aspirational goal for emissions reduction to which all countries would contribute."
Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper insisted any reference to binding targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions be deleted because the call for committing to such targets would not apply to all major polluters.
"What we were dealing with here was an initial proposal that would suggest binding and absolute targets on some countries and not others. And Canada has been insistent now at three consecutive international forums that we need one effective international protocol that ultimately involves action by all major emitters," he said.
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who met earlier Saturday with Harper, was one of the strongest advocates of a binding commitment to reduce greenhouse gases.
But Canada refused to agree to the plan, and without consensus,the Commonwealth was blocked.
Harper pointed out that Canada's position at the Commonwealth is the same to one it took at the G-8 and APEC summits earlier this year.
He said the next international climate deal to replace the Kyoto accord, which expires in 2012, should include commitments from such countries as China and India, as well as the United States.
China and India are exempt from Kyoto, while the U.S. has never signed on.
Australia has not ratified the accord, but could get tougher on fighting climate change under the leadership of Kevin Rudd, whose Labor party defeated Prime Minister John Howard's Liberal party in Saturday's election.
Speaking in Kampala, Harper said he is looking forward to having a good relationship with Howard's successor.
Liberal leader Stephane Dion, meanwhile, issued a statement commending Rudd's pro-Kyoto stand.
"I particularly wish to applaud Mr. Rudd for his determination to restore Australia's commitment to the Kyoto Protocol
that he is a leader only in going backwards and following the same reactionary policies as the US.
Harper pointed out that Canada's position at the Commonwealth is the same to one it took at the G-8 and APEC summits earlier this year
This is true. Harper is consistently reactionary. Harper wants to do nothing until developing nations also commit themselves even though developed nations produce many times the pollution per capita than developing nations. The developed nations should lead not follow but Canada only wants to follow our pack leader the USA. Now that Australia has a new government committed to Kyoto Harper will have to take over as the chief errand boy in the Commonwealth for US interests.
Commonwealth steers clear of binding emissions targets
Harper calls for climate change protocol for all major polluters
Last Updated: Saturday, November 24, 2007 | 6:29 PM ET
CBC News
Leaders of the 53-member Commonwealth produced a statement on Saturday stripped of any reference to binding targets for greenhouse gas emissions.
Canada and Australia had been the lone holdouts against calls to compel each member country into meeting certain targets, as outlined in a draft version of the document circulated earlier at the conference in Uganda's capital, Kampala.
) The final statement, issued on the second day of the three-day summit, said that next month's climate change talks in Bali, Indonesia should be "inclusive in nature and should work towards outcomes that are ambitious, comprehensive, equitable, have respect for different national circumstances, and provide for flexibility in addressing climate change.
"Our shared goal should be to achieve a comprehensive post-2012 global agreement that strengthens, broadens, and deepens current arrangements and leads to reduced emissions of global greenhouse gases.
"This should include a long-term aspirational goal for emissions reduction to which all countries would contribute."
Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper insisted any reference to binding targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions be deleted because the call for committing to such targets would not apply to all major polluters.
"What we were dealing with here was an initial proposal that would suggest binding and absolute targets on some countries and not others. And Canada has been insistent now at three consecutive international forums that we need one effective international protocol that ultimately involves action by all major emitters," he said.
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who met earlier Saturday with Harper, was one of the strongest advocates of a binding commitment to reduce greenhouse gases.
But Canada refused to agree to the plan, and without consensus,the Commonwealth was blocked.
Harper pointed out that Canada's position at the Commonwealth is the same to one it took at the G-8 and APEC summits earlier this year.
He said the next international climate deal to replace the Kyoto accord, which expires in 2012, should include commitments from such countries as China and India, as well as the United States.
China and India are exempt from Kyoto, while the U.S. has never signed on.
Australia has not ratified the accord, but could get tougher on fighting climate change under the leadership of Kevin Rudd, whose Labor party defeated Prime Minister John Howard's Liberal party in Saturday's election.
Speaking in Kampala, Harper said he is looking forward to having a good relationship with Howard's successor.
Liberal leader Stephane Dion, meanwhile, issued a statement commending Rudd's pro-Kyoto stand.
"I particularly wish to applaud Mr. Rudd for his determination to restore Australia's commitment to the Kyoto Protocol
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
A May election?
If the opposition parties are serious they should have a non-confidence vote after sixty days if the Conservatives do not meet the terms of the bill. I understand that the government perhaps could be taken to court or perhaps the bill will not be declared law. We will see.
Opposition MPs pass Kyoto bill despite Tory resistance
Last Updated: Wednesday, February 14, 2007 | 7:19 PM ET
CBC News
The opposition parties teamed up Wednesday to pass a private member's bill that requires the government to meet international Kyoto targets — despite the Conservatives' attempt to kill the bill hours before the vote.
The bill, which was introduced 10 months ago by Liberal backbencher Pablo Rodriguez, gives the government 60 days to table a detailed plan outlining how Canada will reduce its greenhouse gas emissions.
Liberal backbench MP Pablo Rodriguez talks to reporters outside the House of Commons after Question Period Wednesday. He introduced the Kyoto bill that was passed despite opposition from the Conservative government.
(Fred Chartrand/Associated Press) The bill, backed by the NDP and the Bloc Québécois, passed 161-113 on Wednesday night. All the Conservatives who were present voted against it.
"I declare the motion passed," Speaker Peter Milliken said.
The bill urges the government to create fines and jail terms for businesses and industries that over-pollute.
Under the international Kyoto protocol, which was signed by Canada under a previous Liberal government in 1998 and ratified in 2002, the country agreed to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions by six per cent from 1990 levels by 2012.
Continue Article
After Stephen Harper and the Conservatives won the 2006 election, they said Canada's Kyoto commitments were not achievable within the 2012 deadline and would devastate the economy.
Tories tried to get bill declared invalid
Several hours before the vote on Rodriguez's bill on Wednesday, the Speaker turned down a Conservative appeal to have the bill declared invalid.
The Tories argued the bill would force the government to spend money against its will, but Milliken said the bill contained no specific spending measures.
Rodriguez has said that his bill, which is expected to be passed by the Liberal-dominated Senate, would compel the government to act.
"They are bound to it. It's the law of the land," Rodriguez said before the vote. "The prime minister cannot cherry pick laws. He's not the new emperor of Canada.
"The government has to respect it and implement it. If not, we go to the courts," he said.
Rodriguez insisted the bill isn't part of a political game and that it would apply to the Liberals if they win the next election.
However, Environment Minister John Baird says there are no consequences or penalties if the conditions of the bill aren't followed.
"It's really a toothless tiger. All it does is talk about more plans and more studies … we need real action," he said before the vote.
David Docherty, a professor at Wilfrid Laurier University, said it will be up to the opposition to enforce the bill — if it becomes law — and the government doesn't meet the deadline for action.
"Well, if they don't come up with a plan in 60 days, I guess the question is then, how far is the opposition willing to go to make them do that?" Docherty said.
Docherty said the opposition could hold a non-confidence vote if the Conservatives ignore the legislation, but he isn't convinced all three parties are eager to trigger a spring election.
Earlier this month, the House of Commons passed a non-binding motion calling on the government to honour the Kyoto commitments. Harper didn't attend
Opposition MPs pass Kyoto bill despite Tory resistance
Last Updated: Wednesday, February 14, 2007 | 7:19 PM ET
CBC News
The opposition parties teamed up Wednesday to pass a private member's bill that requires the government to meet international Kyoto targets — despite the Conservatives' attempt to kill the bill hours before the vote.
The bill, which was introduced 10 months ago by Liberal backbencher Pablo Rodriguez, gives the government 60 days to table a detailed plan outlining how Canada will reduce its greenhouse gas emissions.
Liberal backbench MP Pablo Rodriguez talks to reporters outside the House of Commons after Question Period Wednesday. He introduced the Kyoto bill that was passed despite opposition from the Conservative government.
(Fred Chartrand/Associated Press) The bill, backed by the NDP and the Bloc Québécois, passed 161-113 on Wednesday night. All the Conservatives who were present voted against it.
"I declare the motion passed," Speaker Peter Milliken said.
The bill urges the government to create fines and jail terms for businesses and industries that over-pollute.
Under the international Kyoto protocol, which was signed by Canada under a previous Liberal government in 1998 and ratified in 2002, the country agreed to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions by six per cent from 1990 levels by 2012.
Continue Article
After Stephen Harper and the Conservatives won the 2006 election, they said Canada's Kyoto commitments were not achievable within the 2012 deadline and would devastate the economy.
Tories tried to get bill declared invalid
Several hours before the vote on Rodriguez's bill on Wednesday, the Speaker turned down a Conservative appeal to have the bill declared invalid.
The Tories argued the bill would force the government to spend money against its will, but Milliken said the bill contained no specific spending measures.
Rodriguez has said that his bill, which is expected to be passed by the Liberal-dominated Senate, would compel the government to act.
"They are bound to it. It's the law of the land," Rodriguez said before the vote. "The prime minister cannot cherry pick laws. He's not the new emperor of Canada.
"The government has to respect it and implement it. If not, we go to the courts," he said.
Rodriguez insisted the bill isn't part of a political game and that it would apply to the Liberals if they win the next election.
However, Environment Minister John Baird says there are no consequences or penalties if the conditions of the bill aren't followed.
"It's really a toothless tiger. All it does is talk about more plans and more studies … we need real action," he said before the vote.
David Docherty, a professor at Wilfrid Laurier University, said it will be up to the opposition to enforce the bill — if it becomes law — and the government doesn't meet the deadline for action.
"Well, if they don't come up with a plan in 60 days, I guess the question is then, how far is the opposition willing to go to make them do that?" Docherty said.
Docherty said the opposition could hold a non-confidence vote if the Conservatives ignore the legislation, but he isn't convinced all three parties are eager to trigger a spring election.
Earlier this month, the House of Commons passed a non-binding motion calling on the government to honour the Kyoto commitments. Harper didn't attend
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