Officials from the Prime Minister's office have said Harper will spend three days in Europe this week meeting G8 leaders in France, Germany, Italy and Great Britain. He is expected to continue demanding that developing countries, such as India and China, do more to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions when the current Kyoto Protocol expires in 2012.
"It is inappropriate for Prime Minister Harper to go anywhere and lecture anyone on Kyoto commitments, given his record," said Dave Martin, Greenpeace climate and energy campaigner. "Under Harper, Canada has rejected its Kyoto commitment and has targets for greenhouse gas reductions far short of European commitments."
Harper's visits to key G8 leaders continue his attempts to derail efforts to produce a post-Kyoto pact for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions after 2012. Harper telephoned U.S. President George W. Bush before his visit to discuss his approach.
Harper's climate change plan, "Turning the Corner," commits Canada to reducing GHG emissions to 20 per cent below the level in 2006 by 2020, far weaker than reduction commitments in Europe. For example, Germany is committed to a 40 per cent reduction from 1990 by 2020.
Greenpeace is mounting a KYOTOplus campaign to convince Ottawa to commit to a 25 per cent reduction from 1990 by 2020. If Canada achieved this reduction, GHGs would fall to 444 million tonnes in 2020, at least 130 million tonnes less than Harper's commitment.
If current reckless development of the Alberta tar sands continues, Canada's emissions will climb even higher.
"Canada under Stephen Harper has shown zero leadership on climate change. European leaders should do themselves and Canadians a favour by ignoring him until he commits to the deep reductions that are needed," said Martin.
Greenpeace also says leaders at the conference on biodiversity now under way in Bonn should reject Harper's message since Canada, which has not signed the Convention on Biodiversity, has no credibility on the issue.
"The Canadian delegation has been the main stumbling block in the negotiation on biodiversity protection in Bonn," said Eric Darier, an agriculture campaigner and member of the Greenpeace delegation. "If Stephen Harper wanted to do something about the environment he could instruct his delegation to be more flexible and let the world move on for stronger biological diversity."
At the conference, Canada has blocked, diluted and delayed any progress on key agenda items, such as agrofuels; forests and agriculture.
"The Canadian approach in Bonn is so weak that the delegates should give serious consideration to moving the CBD Secretariat in Montreal to a country that actually supports action on biodiversity," said Darier.
For more information, please contact:
Eric Darier, Agriculture Campaigner in Bonn, + (49) 157 373 679 39
Dave Martin, Climate and Energy campaigner, (416) 627-5004
Brian Blomme, Media and Public Relations Officer, (416) 930-9055