Canada Cuts Kyoto Funding

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Now I`m going off Canada! The Valley Vegan..............fraggle <EBbrewpunx wrote: Canada Cuts Kyoto FundingSeptember 15, 2006 — By the GLOBE Foundation of Canada OTTAWA, Canada — The Government of Canada has pulled back from a $1.5 million pledge to the United Nations Climate Change Secretariat to support the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM). Canada’s contribution towards the administration of the scheme was to have been the largest of any country. The CDM is a system that allows industrialized nations to earn greenhouse gas emissions credits by investing in projects that reduce emissions in developing countries. Industrialized countries can then apply those credits in order to meet emissions targets set under the Kyoto Protocol. The general principle is

that emissions reductions are cheaper and easier to achieve in developing countries, where simple investments in energy efficiency or alternative energy technology can yield large cuts. The CDM is recognition of the growing importance of developing nations such as India and China in the fight against climate change. A major criticism of the Kyoto Protocol is that it doesn’t include hard targets for developing countries, making cuts made my richer countries less effective. While the CDM does not address this directly, it does go a long way to promoting new technologies and efficiencies in developing countries. There were around 800 projects in the CDM pipeline as of this June, and the United Nations predicts that it will generate more than one billion tons of emissions reductions before the first phase of the Kyoto Protocol expires after 2012. Canada promised the funding at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in December 2005 in

Montreal, as one of 20 nations which agreed to contribute more than $8 million for the CDM. However, the current federal government has shown less support for Kyoto than its predecessor. Environment Minister Rona Ambrose has declared that Canada is unable to meet its commitment to reduce emissions to 6 percent below 1990 levels before 2013. However, she maintains that Canada is still very much involved in international climate change negotiations. Prime Minister Stephen Harper has promised a ‘Made in Canada’ solution to climate change which will promote Canadian technology solutions to achieve emissions cuts and not spend on purchasing credits elsewhere. However, the Prime Minister was among the leaders at the G8 Summit in Moscow this July who endorsed a statement supporting the Kyoto Protocol and the Clean Development Mechanism. Some have voiced concern about the latest withdrawal of support for Kyoto by Canada, as the future of international

climate change negotiations seems more uncertain than ever. Rescinding the CDM funding is seen by some as another sign that Canada is attempting to distance itself from Kyoto, preferring an alternative approach to reducing GHG emissions. Canada may now become more closely aligned with the United States and Australia, who have formed the Asia-Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate along with Japan, China, India, and South Korea. The pact focuses on voluntary, industry-led task forces on the development and deployment of clean energy solutions, and is billed as a ‘supplementary’ approach to Kyoto. See GLOBE-Net article: Canada looking at six-nation climate change pact However Canada chooses to tackle climate change, the proof will be in the long-term, tangible results it delivers. Should the upcoming federal environmental plan include strong measures to support clean technology and industry action to reduce emissions, Canada can

confidently sit at the table in future Kyoto Protocol negotiations. The federal government must now make sure that it follows through with a workable plan that can help Canadians make the emissions cuts that are needed, while creating economic growth through the development of environmental technologies and expanding market opportunities. Contact Info: Dr. John Wiebe, President and CEOThe GLOBE Foundation of CanadaTel : 604.775.5822Until lions have their historians, tales of the hunt shall alwaysglorify the hunterTo send an email to -