Reuters reports that Canada’s Environment Minister returned Monday from UN talks in Durban, South Africa, to announce that Canada was withdrawing from the 1997 Kyoto protocol, an agreement designed to supposedly stop climate changing emissions. He told the media, "As we've said, Kyoto for Canada is in the past ... We are invoking our legal right to formally withdraw from Kyoto."
Canada’s Conservative party, viewed as having close ties to the energy sector, had said remaining in the treaty would trigger penalties of $14 billion Canadian dollars by 2012. Kent noted, "To meet the targets under Kyoto for 2012 would be the equivalent of either removing every car truck, all-terrain vehicle, tractor, ambulance, police car and vehicle off every kind of Canadian road."
Kent stated that the treaty has become unworkable. Kyoto’s language included a first phase through 2012, but this has been extended to 2017. Kent stated that the Liberals (in power in 1997 when the agreement was penned) had no intention of keeping the commitment that had been made.
The United States imports large quantities of oil and natural gas, and Canada is the biggest supplier to the USA.
The Canadian Liberal opposition, as well as environmental groups, are furious about the withdrawal from Kyoto.
Summarized from Reuters at:
http://news.yahoo.com/canada-first-nation-pull-kyoto-protocol-001955697.html
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Note by the blog author:
The USA signed the 1997 Kyoto accord, but it was never ratified by the Senate – see
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kyoto_Protocol
Canada’s Conservative party, viewed as having close ties to the energy sector, had said remaining in the treaty would trigger penalties of $14 billion Canadian dollars by 2012. Kent noted, "To meet the targets under Kyoto for 2012 would be the equivalent of either removing every car truck, all-terrain vehicle, tractor, ambulance, police car and vehicle off every kind of Canadian road."
Kent stated that the treaty has become unworkable. Kyoto’s language included a first phase through 2012, but this has been extended to 2017. Kent stated that the Liberals (in power in 1997 when the agreement was penned) had no intention of keeping the commitment that had been made.
The United States imports large quantities of oil and natural gas, and Canada is the biggest supplier to the USA.
The Canadian Liberal opposition, as well as environmental groups, are furious about the withdrawal from Kyoto.
Summarized from Reuters at:
http://news.yahoo.com/canada-first-nation-pull-kyoto-protocol-001955697.html
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
Note by the blog author:
The USA signed the 1997 Kyoto accord, but it was never ratified by the Senate – see
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kyoto_Protocol
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