The Globe and Mail reports that, “Pressure is mounting on the federal government to fight climate change with a national carbon pricing regime as Quebec became the second province to move toward adopting a cap and trade system.”
“British Columbia enacted legislation last year enabling it to move toward the system, and Ontario and Manitoba will soon follow suit. Together the four provinces represent 80 per cent of the Canadian population and 75 per cent of the country’s gross national product.”
Federal Environment Minister Jim Prentice has responded saying, “I think it is typical of the kinds of efforts that we are making with all of the provinces to harmonize…And we’ll need to determine the extent to which it’s consistent with what’s been proposed continentally with the United States and also internationally.”
“Along with seven American states (Arizona, California, Montana, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington), the four provinces are part of the Western Climate Initiative, which seeks to set up a regional cap and trade system by 2012.”
You can read more about the Western Climate Initiative at http://www.westernclimateinitiative.org/
The full article is at http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20090513.CAPTRADE13ART2239/TPStory/TPNational/?page=rss&id=GAM.20090513.CAPTRADE13ART2239
In related news, “The 2007 Kyoto Protocol Implementation Act requires the government to give Parliament annual plans on reducing Canada’s yearly emissions, including an update on progress.”
“Canada’s Kyoto target is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to six per cent below 1990 levels between 2008-2012.”
“(But) in his first analysis of Canada’s progress on meeting its Kyoto Protocol targets, (Canada’s environmental commissioner) Scott Vaughan concluded that some targets are overstated, lack ‘adequate rationale,’ and fail to take into account unknown factors such as the economy.”
“Vaughan’s report also notes that the government has publicly acknowledged that it will not meet its Kyoto targets and that, in fact, there will be a small increase in emissions by the end of 2012.”
In response, Prentice described the Kyoto Protocol Implementation Act “as a bit of partisan mischief” and said, “The real issue here is that we are working together on a continental basis and an international basis. I’ve said that by the time we get to (the climate change conference in December in) Copenhagen, we will have domestic policies laid out for each source of emissions in Canada. That’s the same commitment that the United States has given. It’s the same commitment that the Australians have given and other countries.”
The full article is at http://www2.canada.com/topics/technology/news/obvious+conflict+interest+costs+feds+says/1588769/story.html?id=1589068
