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KYOTO
ACCORD & GOVERNMENT
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Harper:
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Most resist Canada walking away from the Kyoto Accord. - Decima Research
Canadians
want action on the environment; action that reduces
green house gases while preserving our standard
of living and way of life. Unfortunately, previous
Liberal governments failed to act while Canada's
air quality got worse and greenhouse gas emissions
skyrocketed. Conservatives are turning the corner
with a practical, achievable plan to clean up
Canada's air, land and water and to reduce greenhouse
gas emissions.
Conservatives are taking real action on the environment
to build a stronger, safer, better Canada.
The Conservative Record
Introduced a balanced, achievable plan to reduce
Canada's greenhouse gas emissions 20% by 2020
and cut air pollution in half by 2015. In this
plan:
· For the first time ever, industry will
be forced by law to meet tough emission reduction
targets; and
· National caps for industrial emissions
of four air pollutants commonly associated with
smog and acid rain will be introduced
· Created $2 billion ecoENERGY Initiative
to promote smarter energy use, greater use of
clean energy sources, and cleaner use of traditional
energy sources. This program includ Consumer oriented
incentives like the ecoAUTO rebate for fuel efficient
vehicles; and
· Grants to individuals and businesses
to help them invest in energy and pollution-saving
upgrades.es initiatives like:
Created $1.5 billion trust for clean air and climate
change in partnership with the provinces and territories.
This includes strategic investments like:
· The development of an East-West electrical
transmission interconnect between Manitoba and
Ontario;
· Support for research and innovation for
the reduction and sequestration of greenhouse
gases; and
· Support for the development of a "hydrogen
highway", a network of hydrogen fuelling
stations for fuel celled buses and vehicles, in
British Columbia
Created
$300 million Chemicals Management Plan to regulate
chemicals harmful to human health and the environment
Dedicated $2 billion over seven years for the
production of renewable fuels
A $225 million investment to acquire and preserve
ecologically sensitive lands
Return
to menu
The Liberal Record
Former Liberal environment ministers Christine
Stewart and David Anderson and former top policy
advisor Eddie Goldenberg have all said the Kyoto
Accord was never a priority for the Liberals or
for Liberal leader Stéphane Dion
For 13 years, Liberals promsied to reduce greenhouse
gas emissions but did nothing while Canada's greenhouse
gas emmissions increased by 27%.
Liberals, according to a September 2006 report
by the Auditor General's office, never had a viable
plan to meet their Kyoto targets for greenhouse
gas emmission reduction.
Liberals stood idly by as Canada slid to 28th
out of 29 OECD nations in pollution regulation
rankings.
Liberals are trying to make up for their previous
failures with new legislation that will would
plunge Canada into the worst recession in 60 years
and kill 275,000 jobs.
The NDP Record
The NDP voted against $4.5 billion in funding
to clean up Canada's air and water, reduce greenhouse
gas emissions and combat climate change.
The NDP supported a Liberal environmental plan
- Bill C-288 - that would cripple Canada's economy
but do little to clean up Canada's air.
The Bloc Record
The Bloc talks a lot about environment. But what
can they actually do other than talk? With the
BLOC, we can't achieve anything.
Source: Conservative Party Webpage
In
Depth
Kyoto and beyond
Canada-Kyoto timeline
Last Updated Feb. 14, 2007
CBC News
A Canada goose stands on railway tracks as a steel
plant operates in the background in Hamilton,
Ont. (Kevin Frayer/CP)
Canada was one of the first countries to sign
the Kyoto Protocol, on April 29, 1998. Formal
ratification came more than four years later -
on Dec. 17, 2002.
But Canada's continued participation in Kyoto
seemed certain to end with the election of a minority
Conservative government on Jan. 23, 2006. Part
of the party's platform was to ditch Kyoto and
come up with a made-in-Canada approach to reducing
the emissions blamed for global warming.
And when the Conservatives tabled their first
budget on May 2, 2006, it contained no mention
of the Kyoto Protocol. Instead, the budget merely
repeated the earlier Harper government pledge
to develop a "made-in-Canada" climate
change program that would cost $2 billion over
five years. Beyond that, however, there are few
details. In October 2006, the government said
it would introduce a Clean Air Act focused on
cutting smog. There was no mention of Kyoto.
In adopting Kyoto, the previous Liberal government
pledged that Canada would reduce its greenhouse
gas emissions by six per cent below 1990 levels
by the five-year commitment period of 2008 to
2012. Canada's 2002 climate change plan committed
the country to cut greenhouse gas emissions by
240 million tonnes a year by the end of 2012.
It proposes a three-stage strategy to achieve
that goal through a combination of incentives,
regulations and tax measures.
On March 31, 2006, environment minister Rona Ambrose
told a Vancouver audience that since ratifying
Kyoto, Canada's "greenhouse gas emissions
are up by 24 per cent - a far cry from the previous
government's commitment to meet a target six per
cent below the 1990 levels."
"And that is why we are taking action to
clean up our own backyard right here within our
borders - local action for global change."
Ambrose said the government would introduce its
own Clean Air Act that would focus on achieving
tangible results. Part of the plan would be to
encourage people to take public transit by offering
tax breaks on monthly transit passes and increasing
the average ethanol content in gasoline and diesel
fuel to five per cent by 2010.
Ambrose later endorsed the Asia-Pacific Partnership
on Clean Development and Climate, an alternative
to the Kyoto Protocol backed by the United States,
Australia, Japan, China, India and South Korea.
The pact's emissions reductions targets are voluntary.
The Canada-Kyoto timeline:
1987
March
16: Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete
the Ozone Layer signed in Montreal. Treaty bans
CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons) in developed countries
by 1995 and everywhere else by 2010.
1988
June
27-30: Toronto Conference on the Changing Atmosphere
calls threat from climate change "second
only to a global nuclear war" and calls for
20 per cent cut in greenhouse gas emissions by
2005.
1997
Dec.
11: More than 160 nations gather in Kyoto to negotiate
binding limits on greenhouse gases in the developed
world. Agreement, known as the Kyoto Protocol,
calls for a reduction of five per cent of greenhouse
gas emissions from 1990 levels by the 2008-2012
period.
1998
April
29: Canada signs Kyoto Protocol, pledging to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions by six per cent from
1990 levels by the commitment period ending in
2012.
2000
Oct.
6: Federal government brings in its "Action
Plan 2000 on Climate Change" in which it
commits $500 million on measures to reduce greenhouse
gas emissions.
2001:
March:
U.S. President George W. Bush says the U.S. will
not ratify Kyoto, calling it economically irresponsible.
2002
Feb.
14: U.S. President Bush unveils "Clean Skies"
initiative that targets acid rain and air pollution,
rather than specific greenhouse gas emissions
targeted by Kyoto. Initiative proposes to directly
tie cuts in greenhouse gas emissions to growth
of GDP.
Nov. 21: Federal government formally releases
its Climate Change Plan for Canada. Plan promises
annual cuts of 240 million tonnes of greenhouse
gas emissions.
Dec. 17, 2002: Canada formally ratifies Kyoto
Protocol, with the Liberal government calling
it "an important milestone in Canada's contribution
to addressing climate change."
2003
Aug.
12: Ottawa pledges $1 billion more for its climate
change plan, offering incentives to consumers
and industry. Total federal spending on Kyoto
reaches $3.7 billion.
2004
March
26: Canadian government issues "One Tonne
Challenge," which calls on every Canadian
to cut greenhouse gas emissions by a tonne a year
through such things as taking public transit more
often, composting food waste, and using programmable
thermostats.
April 12: Environment Canada releases 2002 greenhouse
gas inventory. Report shows Canada emitted 731
million tonnes of greenhouse gases that year,
up 2.1 per cent over 2001, and 28 per cent above
the Kyoto target of 572 million tonnes it must
reach by 2012.
Sept. 30: Russia approves Kyoto and later formally
ratifies it, giving the protocol enough support
for it to go into force in February 2005.
December: Canada finally abandons attempt to win
emission credits for exporting clean natural gas
and hydroelectric power to the U.S.
2005
January:
Several media organizations say Ottawa is about
to announce a revamp of its 2002 Kyoto implementation
plan.
Feb. 16: Kyoto Protocol formally goes into force.
Canada still has not released details of how it
will achieve its Kyoto commitments.
March 23: The federal government and Canada's
car makers reach an agreement on emissions standards.
Automakers agree that its new vehicles will cut
emissions by 5.3 megatonnes by 2010 as part of
Ottawa's Kyoto plan.
April 6: The minority Liberal government offers to pull a controversial provision dealing with the Kyoto accord from its budget bill. The opposition Conservatives, NDP and Bloc Québécois have all said they would vote against the budget because of the provision, which would make greenhouse gas emissions a controlled substance so Ottawa could regulate them. In order to appease the opposition, Liberal House leader Tony Valeri offers a deal to Conservative House leader Jay Hill that will allow the finance committee to reject the proposal.
April 13: The federal government announces details of its Kyoto implementation plan, which revamps the plan it put in place almost three years earlier. The government pledges $10 billion to cut greenhouse gases by 270 megatonnes a year by 2008-2012. The plan relaxes emission targets for large industrial polluters.
April 14: Environmentalists say parts of Ottawa's new plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions will be good for the Atlantic region. The Atlantic chapter of the Sierra Club of Canada says promoting the use of alternative energy sources is ideal because Atlantic Canada has a high wind potential. But they're disappointed with the targets set for large polluters. Large companies create almost half of the country's emissions, but they are only required to reduce them by about 14 per cent.
A Yukon environmental group says federal plans fall far short of what's needed. The Yukon Conservation Society says the government is only promising to consult with large firms that produce about 50 per cent of Canada's greenhouse gas emissions, rather than force them to cut their CO2 production.
Nov. 3: Alberta files a formal objection to the federal government's plans to implement the Kyoto accord and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Alberta has long opposed the Kyoto accord, saying it will hurt the province's lucrative oil and gas industry. Provincial Environment Minister Guy Boutilier says Alberta should be allowed to put its own legislation in place to regulate greenhouse gas emissions.
2006
Jan. 23: The Conservatives win a minority government, unseating the Liberals. Part of the Conservatives' platform was scrapping Canada's Kyoto commitments.
March 31: Environment Minister Rona Ambrose tells a Vancouver audience that the government will be introducing legislation containing "made-in-Canada" targets in the fight against air and water pollution.
April 5: Natural Resources Minister Gary Lunn tells CBC News that the government has cut funding to several climate change programs. They include the much-publicized One Tonne Challenge, 40 public information offices across the country and several scientific and research programs on climate change.
April 25: Rona Ambrose tells reporters Canada supports the Asia-Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate, an alternative to the Kyoto Protocol which holds that emission targets should be voluntary and looks at developing technologies that reduce emissions.
Ambrose says she supports the pact because it includes China and India, which are not bound by Kyoto targets. The other member countries of the six-nation pact are the United States, Australia, Japan, and South Korea.
May 2: The Conservatives' first federal budget makes no specific mention of the Kyoto Protocol, but brings in a tax credit for the purchase of monthly transit passes.
Sept.
28: Canada's environment commissioner releases
a report critical of the previous Liberal government,
saying the country can't meet its Kyoto targets.
However, she said the government should set new
targets.
Oct. 10: The Harper government says it plans to
implement a "made-in-Canada" plan that
includes a Clean Air Act. The legislation will
impose tough regulations on smog-producing industries.
He said the plan would replace the current "ad
hoc patchwork system." He did not mention
the Kyoto accord.
Nov. 2: Prime Minister Stephen Harper agrees to
send the Clean Air Act to a special committee
for review after NDP Leader Jack Layton threatens
to topple the government over the issue.
Opposition parties said they would vote against
the bill, so it is now being reviewed by an all-party
committee before the second reading.
Dec. 2: Liberals elect their new leader, Stéphane
Dion, who served as an environment minister in
the Jean Chrétien government. He is a strong
supporter of the Kyoto protocol and announces
his intention to focus on environmental issues
in a post-victory speech.
2007
Jan.
4: In a cabinet shuffle, Environment Minister
Rona Ambrose is replaced by former Treasury Board
president John Baird. The move is seen as a response
to new Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion's pledge
to clean up the environment.
At the news conference, Prime Minister Stephen
Harper said when it comes to clean air and climate
change the government is prepared to "drive
this agenda to a conclusion."
Feb. 1: Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion tables
a motion to make the Harper government reaffirm
Canada's commitment to Kyoto, referring to "overwhelming
scientific evidence" that climate change
is the result of human activity.
Feb. 2: The United Nations releases a 21-page
report that pinpoints human activity as a "very
likely" cause of global warming. International
scientists and officials hail the report, which
states with a 90 per cent certainty that global
warming is caused by the burning of fossil fuels.
After the report's release, Environment Minister
John Baird said "real action" is needed
on global warming.
Feb. 8: Environment Minister John Baird announces
plans to introduce legislation that would regulate
industrial pollutants as part of the Conservatives'
proposed Clean Air Act, to take effect in January
2010. Baird also said Canada will not attempt
to meet Kyoto's greenhouse gas targets.
In
Depth
Kyoto and beyond
Kyoto Protocol FAQs
Last Updated Feb. 14, 2007
CBC News
Depending on who you talk to, the Kyoto Protocol
is either a) an expensive, bureaucratic solution
to fix a problem that may not even exist; or b)
the last, best chance to save the world from the
"time bomb" of global warming.
Those are the extremes in what has become a polarizing
debate that has engaged governments, consumers,
environmental groups and industry all over the
world for more than 20 years.
The problem the Kyoto Protocol is trying to address
is climate change, and more specifically, the
speed at which the earth is warming up. Whether
Kyoto can accomplish this is very much a matter
of debate.
For the record, when the Kyoto Protocol went into
effect Feb. 16, 2005, 141 countries had ratified
it, including every major industrialized country
- except the United States, Australia and Monaco.
The U.S. is responsible for about a quarter of
the emissions that have been blamed for global
warming.
Two of the world's fastest growing polluters -
India and China - have signed on. But because
they are considered developing countries, with
other serious problems to overcome, they have
been given a pass on the first Kyoto round and
do not have to begin making emissions cuts until
after 2012.
· Is the climate changing?
· What are the very long-term climate predictions?
· What is causing the world to warm up?
· Isn't there a lot of debate over the
whole issue of climate change?
· What does the Kyoto Protocol require?
· Does the American decision to pull out
of the Kyoto protocol doom the deal?
· How are emission targets met?
· Is Canada still planning to meet its
Kyoto commitments?
· What happens if a country fails to reach
its Kyoto emissions target?
Is the climate changing?
The United Nations certainly thinks so. And so
do most (but not all) scientists who study climate.
In February 2007, the United Nations Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released a report
that said global warming was "very likely"
- meaning an at least 90 per cent certainty -
caused by human activity.
The report has some telling predictions. The document
forecasts that the average temperature will rise
1.8 C to 4 C by the year 2100 and sea levels will
creep up by 17.8 centimetres to 58.4 centimetres
by the end of the century. If polar sheets continue
to melt, another rise of 9.9 centimetres to 19.8
centimetres is possible.
Past reports from the organization have examined
the changes in the previous century. In a 2001
report, the IPCC said the average global surface
temperature had risen by about 0.6 degrees since
1900, with much of that rise coming in the 1990s
- likely the warmest decade in 1,000 years.
The IPCC also found that snow cover since the
late 1960s has decreased by about 10 per cent
and lakes and rivers in the Northern Hemisphere
are frozen over about two weeks less each year
than they were in the late 1960s. Mountain glaciers
in non-polar regions have also been in "noticeable
retreat" in the 20th century, and the average
global sea level has risen between 0.1 and 0.2
metres since 1900.
Simply put, the world is getting warmer and the
temperature is rising faster than ever.
What
are the very long-term climate predictions?
The IPCC predicts more floods, intense storms,
heat waves and droughts. Its study forecasts a
rise of 1.4 to 5.8 degrees Celsius in the global
mean surface temperature over the next 100 years,
with developing countries most vulnerable.
Other studies are even more apocalyptic. A report
commissioned by the World Wildlife Fund predicts
"dangerous" warming of the earth's surface
in as little as 20 years, with the Arctic warming
so much that its polar ice could melt in the summer
by the year 2100, pushing polar bears close to
extinction.
The Arctic Climate Impact Assessment predicts
that caribou, musk ox and reindeer would find
their habitats severely reduced. Northern aboriginal
peoples around the world would find their way
of life changed forever, the study said.
What
is causing the world to warm up?
Greenhouse Gases
99 per cent of our atmosphere is made up of only
two gases: 78 per cent nitrogen and 21 per cent
oxygen. They don't really affect the climate regulation
on the planet.
The six trace gases that are blamed for global
warming make up only 1 per cent of gases in the
atmosphere. The gases created mainly by human
activities are:
· Carbon dioxide
· Methane
· Nitrous oxide
· Sulphur hexafluoride
· Hydrofluorocarbons
· Perfluorocarbons
Most scientists blame industrialization. Since
the 19th century, the richer countries of the
Northern Hemisphere have been pumping out ever-increasing
volumes of heat-trapping greenhouse gases like
carbon dioxide. Industrial societies burn fossil
fuels in their power plants, homes, factories
and cars. They clear forests (trees absorb carbon
dioxide) and they build big cities.
Greenhouse gases allow solar radiation to pass
through the earth's atmosphere. But after the
earth absorbs part of that radiation, it reflects
the rest back. That's where the problem lies.
Particles of greenhouse gas absorb the radiation,
heating up, and warming the atmosphere. The increasing
levels of greenhouse gases are causing too much
energy to be trapped - the so-called greenhouse
effect.
Isn't
there a lot of debate over the whole issue of
climate change?
Greenhouse gas emissions targets apply to 38 industrialized
countries and "economies in transition"
For a list of these countries and their emissions
targets, click here: UNFCCC
While scientists tend to agree that the earth
is warming, not all agree that rising greenhouse
gas emissions are the culprits. A vocal minority
say the earth's climate warms and cools in long
cycles that have nothing to do with greenhouse
gases.
Some dispute the data concerning rising sea levels
and rising temperatures. Others dispute the projections,
which are based on computer models. But again,
those views are those of a minority. Most climatologists
agree that global warming is causing unprecedented
climate change
and that things will get worse
unless something is done.
What
does the Kyoto Protocol require?
The Kyoto Protocol was adopted in late 1997 to
address the problem of global warming by reducing
the world's greenhouse gas emissions. It is considered
a first step and is not expected to solve the
world's climate change problems by the time its
first commitment period ends in 2012.
Kyoto sets out an agenda for reducing greenhouse
gas emissions by 5.2 per cent from 1990 levels
(although "economies in transition,"
like Russia, can pick different base years). Some
reports say the lower target is to be met by 2010.
But that's shorthand for the actual target date,
which is to achieve those emission cuts over a
five-year average (2008 to 2012).
All countries are not treated equally by Kyoto.
Canada, for instance, has committed to chopping
its greenhouse gas emissions by six per cent.
The U.S. target was a seven per cent reduction.
But in 2001, one of the first acts of newly-elected
President George W. Bush was to formally withdraw
the U.S. from Kyoto. Bush said the U.S. would
not ratify the treaty because it would damage
the U.S. economy and major developing nations
like China and India were not covered by its provisions.
Kyoto also allows some industrialized countries
to make no cuts, or even to emit more greenhouse
gases that they did in 1990. Russia's and New
Zealand's emission levels are capped at their
1990 levels. Iceland can emit up to 10 per cent
more greenhouse gases, Australia eight per cent
more. (Like the U.S., Australia has announced
it won't ratify Kyoto). Developing nations are
not subject to any emissions reduction caps under
Kyoto.
Much of the criticism around the Kyoto Protocol
is over political realities and the limitations
of the treaty. Critics say a five per cent cut
will accomplish little, especially with the United
States not on board. Some Canadian critics say
our economy will pay a heavy price for meeting
our Kyoto commitments because we'll have to compete
with an American economy that faces no such restrictions.
Many doubt that Canada's target cuts can be reached
in Kyoto's first phase that ends in 2012.
Others say the money to implement Kyoto would
be much better spent on improving land usage and
infrastructure in poor countries.
Does
the American decision to pull out of the Kyoto
Protocol doom the deal?
The American decision was not enough to kill Kyoto.
One of President Bush's first acts was to announce
that he would not send Kyoto to the Senate for
ratification - mainly because the deal had little
chance of being passed. He also argued Kyoto would
be bad for the U.S. economy and would be ineffective,
because major developing nations like India and
China were not covered by its provisions.
But that didn't stop world ratification of the
protocol. Russia came onboard on Sept. 30, 2004.
That gave the deal enough support to come into
effect on Feb. 16, 2005.
Still, no country on the planet is responsible
for producing as much greenhouse gas as the United
States. Without significant action from the Americans,
Kyoto's targets would be difficult to reach.
How
are emission targets met?
Emission targets can be met several ways. The
most obvious way is to actually reduce greenhouse
gas emissions - more fuel-efficient cars, fewer
coal-fired power plants. But Kyoto also allows
for three other mechanisms.
Countries can buy emissions credits from countries
that don't need them to stay below their emissions
quotas. A country can also earn emissions credits
through something called joint implementation,
which allows a country to benefit by carrying
out something like a reforestation project in
another industrialized country or "economy
in transition." There's also what's called
a clean development mechanism that encourages
investment in developing countries by promoting
the transfer of environmentally-friendly technologies.
Each developed country must develop its own strategy
to meet its Kyoto commitments. Industrial countries
that ratify Kyoto are legally bound to see that
their emissions do not exceed their 2008/2012
targets.
Is
Canada still planning to meet its Kyoto commitments?
In a word - no. The election of a Conservative
government in 2006 brought about a reversal in
Canada's climate change policy. The specific emissions
reduction targets of the Kyoto Protocol - at least
as far as Canada was concerned - would be abandoned.
In April 2005, then prime minister Paul Martin
and his Liberal government unveiled what they
called Moving Forward on Climate Change: A Plan
for Honouring Our Kyoto Commitment. Under their
revised plan, the Liberals pledged to spend $10
billion over seven years to help Canada cut its
average greenhouse gas emissions by 270 megatonnes
a year from 2008 to 2012.
However, when Prime Minister Stephen Harper and
the Conservative government tabled the federal
budget in May 2006, there wasn't a single mention
of the Kyoto Protocol. Finance Minister Jim Flaherty
repeated his pledge to develop a $2-billion, five-year
"made-in-Canada" climate change plan,
but there were no details. The budget also set
aside $370 million over two years for a new tax
credit that would benefit commuters who buy monthly
transit passes.
In September 2006, Environment Minister Rona Ambrose
said Canada had no chance of meeting its targets
under the Kyoto Protocol. She accused the Liberals
of wasting $1 billion on emission-reduction efforts
without keeping the country on track to meet its
promises under the international agreement. "Kyoto
did not fail this country," Ambrose said.
"The Liberal Party of Canada failed Kyoto."
Ambrose said the government would instead act
on greenhouse gases and other pollution with new
targets in a proposed clean air act, announced
in October 2006.
The Clean Air Act targets would be "intensity-based,"
meaning that environmental emissions would be
relative to the economic output of various industries.
That means even though individual emission limits
for each barrel of oil or piece of coal could
be lowered, if production increases, the overall
amount of greenhouse gas emissions and air pollutants
could grow.
Critics of intensity-based targets say the approach
allows heavily polluting industries, such as Alberta's
oilsands, to continue to grow and pollute while
remaining under government-imposed limitations.
The bill does not set short-term targets to cut
greenhouse gas emissions, and its emissions regulations
on large polluters don't take effect until 2010.
What
happens if a country fails to reach its Kyoto
emissions target?
The Kyoto Protocol contains measures to assess
performance and progress. It also contains some
penalties. Countries that fail to meet their emissions
targets by the end of the first commitment period
(2012) must make up the difference plus a penalty
of 30 per cent in the second commitment period.
Their ability to sell credits under emissions
trading will also be suspended.
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