|
The Earth needs all friends it can get |
|
Earthwords |
|
Friends of the Earth CANADA E-Newsletter |
|
NO CLEAN AIR ACT, YET OTTAWA, 13 October 2006 — The proposed Clean Air Act at best contributes little to reducing air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, and at worst could undermine federal authority and risk being unconstitutional, says a team of environmental lawyers, commenting on an August version of the proposed amendments to the Canadian Environmental Protection Act obtained by Friends of the Earth Canada. Read more...
ECONOMISTS WARN CLIMATE CHANGE WILL COST TRILLIONS IF GOVERNMENTS FAIL TO ACT LONDON (UK) / WASHINGTON DC (USA), 13 October 2006 -- The cost of allowing global temperatures to increase by two degrees or more above pre-industrial levels will run into trillions of Dollars while the environmental and social costs will be incalculable, a survey of over one hundred recent economic and scientific papers on climate change revealed today […] It is estimated that annual economic damages could reach USD 20 trillion by 2100, equivalent to 6-8 percent of global economic output at that time. Read more…
GOVERNMENT’S BREACH OF KYOTO DOES HAVE CONSEQUENCES FOR CANADA by Christine Elwell — Senior Campaigner, FOE Canada
While the Conservative's non-announcement of a Clean Air Act’s so-called "intensity-based reductions in greenhouse gas emissions" run contrary to Canada's commitments under the Kyoto Protocol, it is NOT true, as some would have the public believe, that there are no penalties if countries do not meet its targets. The Kyoto Protocol has a most sophisticated compliance mechanism that Canada is now facing.
Pursuant to Article 18 of the Kyoto Protocol and based on detailed discussions of the Parties, countries that fail to meet their targets will be required to compensate with accelerated rates of emission reductions after 2013, in the second commitment period. This penalty would widen Canada's already significant "Kyoto gap", now hovering at about 35%, according to the Environmental Auditor General. Parties out of compliance will also have reduced ability to take advantage of "flexibility" mechanisms such as international emissions trading after 2013.
Indeed intensity-based reductions will not meet the Protocol's requirement to "reduce overall greenhouse gas emissions" as outlined in Article 3. In fact, Canada has already been the subject of a recent complaint of non-compliance by the G7 and China for failing to file overdue reports "demonstrating progress" in meeting our Kyoto commitments, as required by Article 3.2 and 7. Nothing in the Harper government's non-announcement on clean air suggests that Canada will be able to honour its international obligations anytime soon. What a sad state of affairs for otherwise law-abiding Canadians.
Friends of the Earth Canada intends to make the Harper government accountable for its anti-climate policies.
|
|
SPECIAL EDITION — CLIMATE CHANGE , CANADA AND the TRUE COST OF INACTION |
|
October 2006—Issue 12 |
|
|