A key goal of the Copenhagen climate conference is developing
agreement to strengthen and extend the Kyoto Protocol for reducing
greenhouse gas emissions. The Protocol ends in 2012. A new
agreement would cover the period 2012 to 2017.
Despite ratifying the Kyoto Protocol, successive Canadian
governments have failed to reduce Canada's emissions. In
Copenhagen, Canada will have one of the most embarrassing records
on global warming of all participating countries.
The Liberal governments of Jean Chretien and Paul Martin did not
deliver on their promised action on climate change. The Harper
government said the Kyoto Protocol targets were "unachievable" when
first elected in January 2006.
Stephen Harper has made sure the targets of the Kyoto Protocol
won't be achieved.
Given that Canada's greenhouse gas emissions are about 34 per
cent higher than our Kyoto target, this country is now well on
course to break its promise to the world.
The Kyoto Protocol and Canada
1992 - The United Nations
Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) was adopted at the
Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro by 189 countries, including Canada
and the other G8 countries.
1995 - Recognizing that the
UNFCCC would not be enough to protect the climate, Canada and other
UN countries began negotiations on a "protocol" to the convention,
which would have binding targets and timetables for reduction of
greenhouse gases "as a matter of urgency".
1997 - The Kyoto Protocol of the
UNFCCC was agreed to by Canada and other UN countries in Japan at
the third Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC.
2002 - In December 2002 Canada
ratified the Kyoto Protocol, binding itself to reduce its
greenhouse gas emissions by 6 percent below 1990 levels by
2008-2012.
2005 - On February 16, 2005, the
Kyoto Protocol came into force, making it legally binding on Canada
and other the nations that had ratified it.
2005 - In December 2005, in
Montreal, Canada hosted the first meeting of the parties to the
Kyoto Protocol, and the 11th Conference of the parties to the
UNFCCC.
Stephen Harper's plan - continued failure
The Harper government introduced its "Turning the Corner" plan
for dealing with climate change in 2007.
This plan is far too weak. The targets are not science-based.
They are arbitrary, based on political expediency.
The Harper plan calls for a 20 per cent reduction in greenhouse
gas emissions from 2006 levels by 2020. It seeks to deliberately
confuse Canadians by using 2006 as its base year, instead of 1990,
the base year for the Kyoto Protocol. Harper's proposed 20 per cent
reduction from the 2006 level is less than 3 per cent below the
1990 level-and far less than the KYOTOplus target of at least 25
per cent below 1990 levels.
The Harper plan would not even reach Canada's Kyoto Protocol
target by 2020-eight years after the Kyoto deadline of 2012. The
Harper reductions, if achieved, would fall short of the
KYOTOplus target by 133 million tonnes of carbon
dioxide.
KYOTOplus: science-based
The Harper plan has no relation to the science of global
warming. It is simply an arbitrary target based on political
expediency.
KYOTOplus targets are based on the advice of the
international scientists associated with the Fourth Assessment
Report (AR4) of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change,
released in 2007.
The KYOTOplus targets are based on the advice of the
international scientists associated with the Fourth Assessment
Report (AR4) of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change,
released in 2007.
KYOTOplus targets are the minimum needed to prevent
global warming and catastrophic climate change. KYOTOplus calls for
developed countries to:
- Cut greenhouse gas emissions by at least 25 per cent from 1990
levels by 2020
- Cut emissions by 80 per cent by 2050.
The Economy Issue
The Harper government says reducing greenhouse gas emissions
would result in "economic disaster". This is incorrect.
Denmark has built a strong economy, with vibrant green
enterprises and reduced its greenhouse gas emissions nine per cent
from 1990 levels. That's three percentage points lower than
Canada's Kyoto target.
Denmark shows what effective action can do.
A report by the former chief economist of the World Bank,
Sir Isaac Stern, says clearly the cost of ignoring global warming
will be 20 times higher than preventing it.
Canada must be a leader not a laggard in Copenhagen
At the Copenhagen climate conference, Canada must finally show
leadership and agree to a fair and binding agreement to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions.
Copenhagen can be a turning point in the environmental history
of the planet, if world leaders decide to strengthen and extend the
Kyoto Protocol and adopt goals like those of KYOTOplus.
It's essential that Canada stop embarrassing Canadians on the
world stage and support real action on climate change at this
conference.
The KYOTOplus campaign is the way to apply pressure to Canada to
be a leader.
Take Action Now! Support action on climate change!
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