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Greenpeace alters Total billboards in Edmonton to be more honest
09 October 2009
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Quickfacts - Key climate and energy issues for the US and Canada
- Neither the Obama administration nor the Harper government has adopted the science-based reduction targets needed to help avoid catastrophic climate change.
- Obama supports reducing US greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to 1990 levels by 2020.
- Harper would reduce GHG emissions three per cent below 1990 levels by 2020.
- Both leaders should adopt the reduction target for GHGs of the KYOTOplus campaign—at least 25 per cent below 1990 levels by 2020.
- The KYOTOplus target is in line with advice from international climate scientists and similar to the reduction target of the European Union.
- KYOTOplus means Canada would cut emissions to 444 million tonnes by 2020 from 592 million tonnes in 1990.
- The Harper target would cut emissions to only 576.8 million tonnes by 2020.
- Canada’s current target under the Kyoto Protocol is to reduce GHGs to 558.4 million tonnes by 2012.
- In 2007, Canada was the largest supplier of oil and refined products to the U.S., exporting 2.4 million barrels a day, about 75 per cent from the tar sands.
- The tar sands, dirtiest oil in the world, generate three to five times more greenhouse gas pollution than conventional oil and cause unacceptable impacts to fresh water, the boreal forest, wildlife and air quality.
- Greenpeace wants President Obama to implement a National Low Carbon Fuel Standard, to discourage importing tar sands bitumen and oil and to encourage the development of a sustainable transportation system. Obama has already championed such standards.
- If Obama and Harper discuss creating a North American ‘cap and trade’ system to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, it must not have loopholes for the tar sands.
- Green stimulus: Obama proposed $50 billion USD in his recovery and reinvestment bill. Harper proposed $1.2 billion in his budget, proportionally four times less than the US over two years.
