OTTAWA (CP) - Canada wants to go back to the drawing board on plans for dealing with global warming when countries that have signed the Kyoto Protocol open new talks in Africa next week.
The federal government will seek a "comprehensive review" of the 1997 treaty when negotiators from 165 countries meet in Nairobi, Kenya, federal officials told a background briefing Monday.
Canada wants to focus on "the longer term," said officials, who cannot be identified under the rules of the briefing.
But critics say federal strategists are actually looking for a way to escape existing promises and stall progress.
"They want to find a way out of their commitments," said John Bennett of the Climate Action Network. "They're looking at a way to redo the whole protocol."
The Conservatives are undercutting the genuine efforts of other committed countries to save political face. Ambrose wants to argue that Canada is working with other Kyoto nations, but our stance works to derail the entire process. How ironic, that on a day when Tony Blair sounds the environmental alarm bell, advocating immediate action, we head to the talks armed with stall tactics.
I hope other nations begin to demand Ambrose resign her influential position and publicly embarass this cynical politicism. This government hates Kyoto, but appears willing to use our presence to thwart domestic criticism. Think about how ridiculous it is to attend talks aimed at future targets and demand a review of a nine-year old resolution. What an absolute embarassment that demands someone finally call us out. Canada should be barred from these talks, because we are effectively the fox in the henhouse.
UPDATE
The audacity is almost funny.
9 comments:
Yet another reason why, as Dion has said, liberals need to return as soon as possible.
An a semi-related note, a poll over at progressive bloggers clearly shows that a Dion/Kennedy alliance would unite the liberal party.
It seems the whole reason for Harpor's political existence is to reverse the clocks to the 1980s hedonism, where gluttonry is good. To try and make a show of downgrading the global environmental effort would appear to be ripped from the pages of Bram Stoker. Quick! Someone take a wooden stake up to parliament...
Ahhh, now I understand why Ambrose was laughing and smirking through QP today. Her master has a plan, and she's happier than a pig in s--- about it. They intend to try to scuttle or denigrate Kyoto for their own political purposes.
Great post, Far&Wide, and I hope other governments in the world do ask Ambrose to step down. This gnu government of Canada will understand nothing less than a world-led smackdown.
Come on world and Earth, smack those smirks and smeers right off the faces of Canada's gnu minority government.
Canada deserves a government which takes issues seriously. This bunch will drag it's heels on Climate Change because they are all banking on being Raptured before they and Canada starve to death from drought.
Hmm, transparency problems, projects on hold...deadlines falling apart...
Guess this memo didn't get sent out yet, to those hyping Kyoto:
http://www.planetark.org/avantgo/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=38719
"Verification Problems May Delay '07 Kyoto Projects"
"Projects that cut greenhouse gas emissions and channel funds to poor nations from rich ones under the Kyoto pact may be backlogged in 2007 due to mistaken applications and an overworked evaluation team, an official said...
But Lex de Jonge, member of the Kyoto judging panel that manages the CDM, said that problems with some of the local companies responsible for verifying projects might delay the approval process next year......
Dornau added that there was a lack of transparency in the Kyoto judging panel's decision making, with only brief explanations for rejections of projects making it harder for them to ensure subsequent applications met the guidelines."
anon
You take the Conservative view that Kyoto is a failure, then why continue to participate? The more Conservatives poke holes in the protocol, the more ridiculous Ambrose looks at the table, as though an honest broker.
steve v....talk about being honest!
If something isn't working like it should, do you bury that fact, and keep on going like it was?
"If something isn't working like it should, do you bury that fact, and keep on going like it was?"
Fine, then dropout of the Kyoto meetings and stop with the illusion that you are open to negotiations. Canada is a cancer at the Kyoto talks, have been since Ambrose took over. The Conservatives know Canadians support Kyoto, so they keep up appearances, while doing everything to undermine the objectives. If you don't support it, great, then GET OUT! Period. There are lots of countries that don't support Kyoto, and none of them will be in Africa, except a government trying to save face. Don't lecture me about honesty, because this whole Conservative endeavor is riddled with duplicity.
The environment is a priority for me. I guess I'm not a single-issue voter or I'd go Green more often, but a clean earth is important to me. I bike about 360 days a year and shower every other day and eat low on the food chain. Personally, I'm glad Canada is out of Kyoto, because I don't believe it's a workable answer. I'm with Al Gore on the environment and think he is a great leader, but I break with him on this issue only.
I've been very open-minded on Kyoto and have asked for a deeper explanation of how it will work, but have never heard a satisfactory answer - maybe I will yet.
For now, it is a plan which will not work or help, I think, and is best scuttled. I don't know why we still attend meetings or etc., Ambrose could be doing something more useful at home.
I have voted Liberal and will vote Liberal again - the Liberals fucked up huge on the environment and have zero credibility to this environment-minded voter. Temporarily, I'm done with them.
Far & Wide,
Get off your high horse and look reality in the eye (or the kneecap?).
Canada produces 3% of the carnage, we are trying to build something that doesn't destroy our economy, we are in the eye of the future storm, India and China would bury us economically if we gave them half an inch, and you are trying to get us OFF the world stage??
Are you some kind of Chinese spy? or just somebody so partisan that they can't see any distance ahead of themselves.
No question the nations' of the planet need to do something, but let's be clear, "the nations of the planet" need to do something. Not the 1%ers. Go ask Venezuala to quit pumping oil? or would you rather wreck the Canadian economy and allow Hugo to keep building walls of distrust?
Wake up and smell the Carbon fixing forest. That's what will save Canada and ultimately our role in all this.
cheers,
Tomm
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