Greenpeace pressures Ottawa on Tar Sands emissions at UN Climate Conference

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Greenpeace Poland director Maciej Muskat and Solar Generation Student Delegates mark the opening of the UN climate talks in Poznan by unveiling a 3 metre high sculpture depicting the earth on the brink of destruction from a ‘tidal wave’ of CO2. The sculpture, ‘Planet Earth: Tipping Point’, by Dutch artist Ruut Evers, shows the fragile planet cowering beneath a giant ‘wave’ made of wood and coal. It will remain on display for the duration of the climate talks, serving as a daily reminder to government negotiators that the stakes couldn’t be higher.

Canada, and especially the Harper government, has done nothing to fight global warming. The enormous emissions from the tar sands are making Canada's problems of reducing greenhouse gas emissions much worse.

In Poznan, Greenpeace has one of the most influential and largest non-government delegations. Greenpeace climate and energy coordinator Dave Martin, from Toronto, is a key part of the delegation.

Martin, a respected energy researcher with 30 years experience as an activist, is tracking Canada's participation in Poznan. He will promote the "Stop the Tar Sands" campaign to international groups and delegations. Martin will also highlight Canada's poor record on global warming. (Read Martin's blogs from Poznan (link).

In addition, Martin will ensure that reporters and delegates are aware of the failure of the Alberta government to reduce the environmental destruction and the greenhouse gas emissions of the tar sands. Alberta has announced that its environment minister will attend the conference as part of the Canadian delegation.

Greenpeace has targeted Canada as one of the worst developed countries that must be turned around if the world is to prevent catastrophic climate change. This Canadian turnaround starts with stopping the tar sands.

Greenpeace will work in Poznan with international delegations and other environmental organizations to help convince the Harper government to commit to a science-based target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions at least 25 per cent from 1990 levels by 2020.

Greenpeace has scheduled meetings on its energy revolution plan and on forest protection and other issues at the conference. Staff will also hold frequent briefings with the media to respond to talks. Greenpeace has also released briefing documents for Poznan on climate issues.

The UN conference in Poznan, from December 1 to 12, marks the crucial halfway point in international discussions to develop an agreement to strengthen and extend the Kyoto Protocol at the historic Copenhagen conference in December 2009.

Canada must also be convinced to strongly support efforts in Poznan to develop a work plan that will lead to an agreement at the Copenhagen conference.

Canada signed the Kyoto Protocol in 2002 and committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions six per cent below 1990 levels by 2012. Since signing, Canadian governments have collectively:

• Had no intention of implementing the reductions of the Kyoto Protocol,
• Allowed emissions to increase almost 30 per cent over the Kyoto Protocol target
• Allowed the tar sands to become the fastest growing source of greenhouse gas emissions in Canada
• Failed to implement science-based targets for reductions to prevent catastrophic climate change
• Blocked progress on climate change at the Bali climate conference in 2007 and not participated positively in subsequent climate meetings

A poll commissioned by Greenpeace and three other groups, and released December 2, and the results of the October federal election show that a majority of Canadians want their government to fight global warming, the most serious environmental problem facing the world.

Greenpeace and 30 other environmental groups are mobilizing Canadians through KYOTOplus to demand real action on global warming.

KYOTOplus is a campaign through which Canadians can apply pressure on the Harper government for action. Thousands have already signed the KYOTOplus petition, which is an important first step in supporting the campaign. The KYOTOplus website has ideas on how you can get more active in the campaign.

Strong support from the international community in Poznan to turnaround Canada will put added pressure on the Harper government to fight global warming.

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The United Nations conference on climate change will run from December 1 to 12, 2008 in Poznan, Poland.

The negotiations were launched in Bali in 2007 and will conclude in Copenhagen in December 2009.

To goal for governments in Copenhagen must be to agree to a course that will avoid the catastrophic climate change that could result from global warming. The mean temperature increase must be kept as far below 2 degrees C as possible. Global greenhouse gas emissions must peak by 2015 and decline rapidly after that.

The Canadian government has a delegation at Poznan. Canada is scheduled to make a statement on December 10, when national statements will be made to the conference plenary

In Poznan, Greenpeace is calling on the Canadian government to play a positive role in discussions. Among other things, Canada must agree to implement an action plan that will reduce this country's greenhouse gas emissions at least 25 per cent below 1990 levels by 2020.

LEARN MORE FROM GREENPEACE CANADA

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Braving toxic fumes and the same toxic tailings waste that earlier this year killed 500 ducks, Greenpeace activists entered Syncrude's Aurora North tar sands operation early this morning and attempted to block a pipe into the two-kilometre wide tailings pond. The activists also suspended a banner that read "World's Dirtiest Oil: Stop the Tar Sands."

Canada has failed to live up to the commitment it made in signing the Kyoto Protocol to take steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by six per cent from 1990 levels by 2012. The huge emissions of greenhouse gases from the tar sands make it much more difficult for Canada to meet its obligations.

Facts on the tar sands:

• Fastest growing source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in Canada
• Production expected to grow to between three and five million barrels of oil a day by 2020
• Produces 40 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions currently; nearly the emissions of the Czech Republic
• Tar sands GHG emissions may double by 2015,
• By 2020 tar sands GHGs will likely increase to 141 million tonnes, double the current emissions of all cars and trucks in Canada
• Producing oil from the tar sands releases three to five times more GHG emissions than oil from conventional sources and uses three to five barrels of water to get a barrel of oil---the dirty oil problem
• Every day tar sands producers burn 600 million cubic feet of natural gas to produce tar sands oil, enough natural gas to heat three million Canadian homes
• Tar sands production is licensed to use more water a day than Alberta's two major cities---Calgary and Edmonton---combined
• 90 per cent of the water used in the tar sands is highly contaminated and ends up in huge tailings ponds that already cover 50 square kilometers. Contaminants include naphthenic acids and mercury.
• Tailings ponds adjacent to rivers pose an enormous threat of contamination of fresh water and destruction of wildlife
• A vast area of the boreal forest is being destroyed by tar sands operations, roads and pipelines; fragmenting forests and wildlife habitats and forcing the sensitive woodland caribou out of its home
• First Nations communities downstream of the tar sands have reported elevated levels of rare cancers. Tar sands pollution has been associated with embryonic deformity, mortality and other biological impacts in fish in the Athabasca River.

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Greenpeace projected a 15 square meter message onto Parliament Hill that read "Wanted: Climate leaders". The message highlights the third anniversary of the Kyoto protocol and the lack of leadership of the Harper Government in effectively addressing climate change.

Since signing the Kyoto Protocol in 2002, Canada has done almost nothing to fight global warming. Greenhouse gas emissions are now nearly 30 per cent higher than Canada's target under the Protocol. With the unchecked development of the tar sands, Canada's emissions will get worse and the difficulty of reducing emissions will increase.

In order to play a leadership role in Poznan and in the discussions leading to the Copenhagen conference, Canada must:

• Adopt a science-based target for reducing greenhouse gas emissions to help prevent catastrophic climate change and threats to people and the environment
• Implement an action plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 25 per cent below 1990 levels by 2020
• Agree to binding emissions reductions of 25 to 40 per cent from 1990 levels by 2020 for all developed countries
• Agree to long-term emissions reductions of at least 80 per cent from 1990 levels by 2050
• Support a Forest Fund for developing countries to reduce deforestation and forest degradation
• Help developing countries financially to adapt to climate change and mitigate its effects
• Fund the transfer of green technology to developing countries
• Support the development in Poznan of a draft agreement that will be the basis for real negotiations during 2009 to strengthen and extend the Kyoto Protocol in Copenhagen
• Help ensure that the world keeps the rise in global temperatures as far below 2 degrees Celsius as possible

LEARN MORE FROM GREENPEACE INTERNATIONAL

• Documents about the Poznan talks
• The Climate Rescue Weblog