Posted on 16-12-2002
Canada
Ratifies Kyoto Climate Protocol
Note, New Zealand Parliament ratified the protocol earlier this
week.
OTTAWA, Ontario, Canada, December 10, 2002 (ENS) - The Parliament
of Canada
voted today to ratify the Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations
Framework
Convention on Climate Change, bringing the treaty to limit greenhouse
gases
one step closer to entry into force. Environmentalists cheered
the vote,
but industry remains opposed to the binding emissions limits.
The Canadian
Cabinet is expected to pass an Order-in-Council to formalize
the
government's decision to ratify. Canada's decision will then
be delivered
to the United Nations on Wednesday, at which point the process
will be
officially complete.
The Kyoto Protocol becomes law when a minimum of 55 countries
covering at
least 55 percent of 1990 greenhouse gas emissions have ratified.
Canada's
vote brings the total to 98 countries, covering 40.7 percent
of greenhouse
emissions. Russia's ratification, expected to take place in
June 2003, will
see the agreement take effect globally.
Canadian Environment Minister David Anderson presented the motion
for
ratification which was approved by a vote of 196 in favor and
77 against.
The motion received the support of Liberal, Bloc Quebecois and
New
Democratic members. Anderson believes Canada's support for the
Kyoto
Protocol will apply pressure to the United States to ratify
the agreement,
although President George W. Bush has rejected it as too economically
risky
for the U.S. economy. "If we can do this and show that it can
be done with
minimum impact, the arguments of the United States will simply
disappear,"
said Anderson. "And then we will see much more interest in the
United
States in taking part in the Kyoto process." The Canadian government
is
working with governments of several U.S. states, including New
York and
California, to implement climate change "in a coordinated way
across the
continent," Anderson said.
Parliament turned down an opposing motion that the government
not ratify
the Kyoto Protocol "until an implementation plan is in place
that Canadians
understand, setting out the costs and benefits and how the targets
are to
be reached and until the plan can be agreed to by the provinces.”
Although
it was defeated, this motion expresses the concerns of many
Canadians.
Speaking from New York City, Alberta Premier Ralph Klein who
heads an oil
and gas producing province, commented negatively on the ratification
vote.
"The federal Liberals have defied common sense and the objections
of the
provinces in order to grant the Prime Minister his Christmas
wish," said
Klein. "The onus is now on the federal government to bring certainty
to
industry and to repair the damage caused by the unnecessary
rush to ratify
Kyoto by developing an implementation plan that works for Canada,
Klein
said. "We're prepared to do whatever it takes - including launching
a
constitutional challenge, if necessary - to ensure that Alberta's
concerns
are addressed in Ottawa's implementation plan," the premier
said.
Richard Paton, president of the Canadian Chemical Producers'
Association,
said, "If the House supports a motion on Kyoto, this should
put more
pressure on the government to come up with a plan. The protocol
itself
requires that an implementation plan be in place."
The Canadian Coalition for Responsible Environmental Solutions,
on behalf
of business organizations, industry associations and consumer
advocacy
groups, promoted a "Made in Canada" alternative solution to
address global
warming, spending millions on advertising and public awareness.
"By
ratifying the Kyoto Protocol, the government has decided to
commit
Canadians without the benefit of a detailed game plan or any
clear sense of
the cost to the country," says Nancy Hughes Anthony, president
and CEO of
the Canadian Chamber of Commerce and CCRES member. "Ratification
does not
end the uncertainty for Canadian business, consumers or investors."
But
environmentalists were pleased and encouraged by Parliament's
vote. "Canada
has set an example for North America by ratifying the Kyoto
Protocol," said
Jennifer Morgan, director of WWF's Climate Change Program. "With
a similar
economy and resource base as the United States, it is clear
that America's
neighbor to the North is ready to act responsibly in tackling
climate
change. If Canada can do it, so can the United States." "This
is a proud
day for Canada, the federal government, and Greenpeace, who
has been
pushing for Kyoto ratification for several years," said Steven
Guilbeault,
Climate Campaigner for Greenpeace. "Kyoto will lead to greater
efficiency
in our homes, our transportation systems, and our economy in
general."
But Alberta's Premier Klein is more interested in protecting
the energy
industry. "Now they owe it to Canadians to talk seriously and
openly about
how they're going to live up to the Prime Minister's promises
to protect
the energy industry and the economy," he said, :especially since
Canada
will be the only country in the Western Hemisphere with Kyoto
reduction
targets."
|