http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20070209.ENVIRO09/TPStory/
Emissions report card puts Canada last Country has 'no plan' to fulfill pledge from G8 summit, U of T researchers say MARTIN MITTELSTAEDT ENVIRONMENT REPORTER TORONTO -- Canada ranks dead last among members of the G8 industrialized countries when it comes to keeping a pledge made last year to fight climate change by reducing greenhouse-gas emissions, according to a report prepared by researchers at the University of Toronto. Canada was the only Group of Eight country deemed to have posted a complete lack of compliance with the greenhouse-gas reduction goal set at last summer's G8 summit in St. Petersburg. Canada has "no plan" to cut its emissions in the short or long term, and could have rising output of the gases blamed for global warming under the Conservatives' Clean Air Act because the legislation doesn't cap releases, the report said. Ottawa has announced that Canada will reduce greenhouse emissions by 45 per cent -- to 65 per cent -- by 2050, but the report noted that as of Dec. 31, the date at which it conducted the country comparisons, "Canada had not taken significant steps to curb GHG emissions, nor did it have a plan in place to move forward on meeting its Kyoto-mandated targets nor the ambitious 2050 targets." Canada's commitment under the Kyoto Protocol is a 6-per-cent reduction from 1990 levels by 2012. Besides Canada, the G8 includes the United States, Japan, Germany, Britain, France, Italy and Russia. Since 1996, researchers at U of T's Munk Centre for International Studies have issued compliance reports on how well the rhetoric of G8 leaders matches what their governments do to honour commitments made at their annual summits. The report, to which researchers at Moscow's State University Higher School of Economics contributed the Russian analysis, compared how the countries fared on 20 major pledges made at the meeting, covering subjects such as economic development, security and health care, along with the environment. The G8 has fulfilled only 31 per cent of its commitments since the summit last July. It has not scored this poorly since mid-2002, according to the report. On climate change, the countries pledged last year "to meet our shared . . . objectives of reducing greenhouse-gas emissions." It was against this commitment that Canada seems to have delivered rhetoric, rather than results, by scoring last among the G8 for having no plans for cutting emissions. Canada's emissions are up at least 24 per cent from 1990 levels, one of the worst records in the industrialized world. "Canada received the lowest score because of the Harper government's change in policy and attitude towards the Kyoto Protocol," said Brian Kolenda, co-director of the compliance unit on the U of T's G8 research group. Canada's record was particularly weak against countries, such as Germany and the U.K., that have exceeded their greenhouse-gas emission reduction targets, he said. Russia and Italy also had weak records, although their performance exceeded Canada's. Russia has met some of its obligations under Kyoto, but hasn't taken new steps to mitigate its emissions. Italy isn't close to meeting its Kyoto reduction target. Although the United States has backed out of Kyoto, the report said it is working hard to reduce its emissions, including funding of $3.9-billion (U.S.) for technologies used to fight climate change. The researchers also ranked the countries in terms of a G8 goal to encourage the use of hybrid cars and clean diesel engines in vehicle fleets. Canada has "largely failed" in its commitment to improve the fuel efficiency of its automobiles, the report said. ***** Worst among equals Researchers at the University of Toronto's Munk Centre for International Studies issue reports on how well the rhetoric of G8 leaders matches what their governments do to honour commitments. The group has ranked Canada last when it comes to keeping a pledge to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions. Scoring system: +1: Full compliance 0: Partial compliance -1:A lack of compliance France +1 'Establishing regulatory measures' for a 75% emission reduction Germany +1 'On pace to exceed requirements of the Kyoto Protocol' Japan +1 'Pro-active approach in tackling climate change' Britain +1 'Full compliance' with commitments U.S. +1 'Working hard to reduce its GHG emissions' Russia 'A work in progress' Italy 'Emission volumes continued to increase' Canada -1 'No plan' SOURCE: UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO -- Darryl McMahon It's your planet. If you won't look after it, who will? The Emperor's New Hydrogen Economy http://www.econogics.com/TENHE/ _______________________________________________ Biofuel mailing list Biofuel@sustainablelists.org http://sustainablelists.org/mailman/listinfo/biofuel_sustainablelists.org Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Search the combined Biofuel and Biofuels-biz list archives (50,000 messages): http://www.mail-archive.com/biofuel@sustainablelists.org/
