Environmental groups are calling on Environment Minister Rona Ambrose to resign as chair of UN negotiations on extending the Kyoto Protocol.
Canada has effectively abandoned the climate treaty and should not take part in the talks that open Monday in Bonn, said John Bennett of the Climate Action Network. "We are calling for Rona Ambrose to resign as president of the international negotiations," he told a news conference Wednesday. "It's the honourable thing to do.
Of course Ambrose is refusing, blaming the Liberals for the environmental mess that makes Kyoto unrealistic. Interesting that Ambrose argues that many countries will fail to meet the Kyoto's goals:
Ambrose has said that most other Kyoto countries can't meet their targets either, but her critics deny this.
Britain and France have already met their targets, and the European Union as a whole is expected to do so, they said. New Zealand is on track while Japan and Norway are having trouble but remain committed to their targets.
The United States and Australia have pulled out of the treaty. Stephen Guilbeault of Greenpeace said the Conservatives are following the path of U.S. President George W. Bush, and isolating Canada from the rest of the world.
What is particularly baffling about the Conservative position is that there is nothing lost by staying within Kyoto. Ambrose has said Canada will never meet its targets, so any new Conservative "made in Canada" approach is also doomed. Can't we have our own approach, within the confines of a protocol that has the same end goal? What is the harm in trying to reach the targets? Unless of course you are in the pocket of the worst polluters and have no real desire to tackle the problem. I hope these environmental groups keep up the pressure, because Ambrose is an embarrassment.
7 comments:
if you do a little digging you will actually find out that these dissenters represent organizations and lobby groups that are no longer on the gravy train for Federal Government grants.
The new rule to show where the money was spent and whether it was spent to provide measurable benefits to the taxpayer has eliminated most of them.
Paying themselves salaries and organizing protests is not deemed to be something we taxpayers should fund.
It is sour grapes - and Canada is not "pulling out of Kyoto". They can't and they won't. However, we are 13 years behind in finding solutions not only greenhouse gases (which is not pollution) but cleaning up our air and water and various other wastes.
Do you think these problems just happened in the past three months? So why would you think they can be solved in three months.
So far the Cons have legislated emmissions by smelters, initiated a new biofuel for airlines and today two new bio-diesel low sulpher emmision plants opened in Alberta and Quebec. Legislation will follow on usage.
Thee are several ethanol plants being built , and they have allocated multi-millions for harbour cleanup.
There is $2 billion in the climate change budget that remains there to be allocated to programs.
And today they completed a missing link on air quality assessments and GHG study which shows that actually our emmisions are up 35% since Chretien signed the Kyoto agreement.
So, what is best for the earth - a pieve of paper to wave around saying you are a hero because you signed it - or real measurable actions and results.
I pick the latter. How about you.
And what the hell was the loyal Opposition doing at the time?
Feathering their nests, like the rest of them. Dissenters! Assenters! Either or, same thing.
What are we going to do now? Canada, all of us? Who's got a plan?
Craig,
Your post had absolutely nothing to do with the topic.
The topic is that we now have a chair on the panel to negotiate International emissions reductions beyond 2012 who does not believe in that goal.
If the Conservatives wish to have a "Made in Canada" (ie made in the US) solution that is fine (although the Bloc, Liberals, NDP and Green Party along with the majority of Canadians support Kyoto). But it is way more than a little bit hypocritical for our government to say to the international community that we will not partake in Kyoto, go it alone (or possibly join the rival do-nothing Asian Pacific pact) and then be involved in the negotiations for OTHER countries who believe in International action. Do you not see this?
If I was from one of the other Countries, like say the UK, who has reduced their emissions by 14 – 18% and is very dedicated to much larger cuts in the future then I would be more than a little bit annoyed that the commission is chaired by a person like Rona Ambrose who does not believe in cutting emissions, from a party like the Conservatives that do not believe in cutting emissions, from a Country like Canada that has had the worst performance among Countries in Kyoto and will do worse under the Conservatives.
Rona Ambrose must resign. It is the only honorable thing to do. If she does not I hope the representatives from other countries (you know the ones who are doing something to improve our future) kick her and Canada out. By her staying in her position she is sullying Canada’s reputation. If you refuse to play by the rules then you should not be allowed to play. Do you not see this Craig?
craig
The excuses get weaker by the day. Blah, blah, blah.
Very best site. Keep working. Will return in the near future.
»
Great site lots of usefull infomation here.
»
Hi, I was out blogging and found your site. It certainly got my attention and interest. I was looking for Shoes information and even though this isn't a perfect match I enjoyed your site. Thanks for the read!
Post a Comment