June 22, 2006
The Ethanol Question
The only concrete measure the Harper government has taken to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is to increase the percentage of ethanol in gasoline by 1% to 5%.
Unfortunately, this measure will not have much effect. According to Nathalie Elgrably, an economist with the Institut économique de Montréal, Canada produces less than the 25% of corn necessary to increase the percentage of ethanol in gasoline to 5%. Moreover, the production of ethanol would create an energy deficit.
" When you take into account the fertilizers needed to grow corn, the gasoline used by tractors and trucks and the resources needed for distillation ," says Nathalie Elgrably in the Journal de Montréal, " the amount of energy used to produce a gallon of ethanol requires 29% more energy than the ethanol produced ."
The economist believes that, to increase ethanol production, " virgin land and forests would have to be converted into corn crops, which does not make ecological sense. In this light, should we not re-evaluate the so-called benefits of ethanol for the environment? "
One thing is for sure: ethanol production is not profitable. The economist says that this is why it is not used more by oil and gas companies.
In the United States, a subsidy of 51 cents is given for every gallon of ethanol produced.
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June 22, 2006
Erosion threatens banks of North Shore
A study involving six Quebec ministries found that a third of the 2,200 km stretch of the banks of the North Shore is threatened by erosion because of global warming.
The study shows that erosion is responsible for 60% of loose or crumbling banks and that at least 400 homes should be relocated. In 30 years, 2,500 homes will have to be moved.
The deterioration of the banks is caused by the increase in sea level and the disappearance of sea ice that protects the shore from winter storms.
The study recommends that the North Shore RCM establish a 60 m buffer strip to protect the banks.
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June 21, 2006
A 60% GHG reduction by 2050
According to a study by the National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy (NRTEE), it may be possible to reduce Canadian greenhouse gas emissions by 60% by 2050 using existing technologies and without any negative impacts on the economy.
With its long-term objective, this reduction is 10 times greater than required by the Kyoto Protocol. The agency that carried out the study, whose activities are independent of the federal government, asserts, "The first and perhaps most important finding of the analysis is that it can be done."
"The chief difficulty in significantly reducing GHG emissions is not the lack of relevant technologies," the study says, "rather it is the lack of a long-term signal. Such a signal is needed to help the private sector make shorter-term investment decisions that take GHG reductions into consideration. [...] It is important to send the appropriate signal as soon as possible. The longer we wait, the more difficult it will be."
Let's not forget that the Kyoto target of reducing Canadian GHG emissions by 6% from their 1990 level by 2012 has been written off as unrealistic and unattainable by the Harper government.
For more about the National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy: http://www.nrtee-trnee.ca/ .
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June 20, 2006
Conservatives Thumb Their Nose at Kyoto Again
In an effort to better reflect its position with respect to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, the Harper government has removed all references to Canada's commitment to the Kyoto Protocol on Environment Canada's official portal (www.ec.gc.ca), the Green Lane.
Speaking through her press attaché, Ryan Sparrow, federal Environment Minister Rona Ambrose said that it was normal " for government Internet sites to reflect the priorities of a new government ."
The Director of Greenpeace-Québec, Steven Guilbeault, believes the Conservatives are " eliminating all references to the Kyoto Protocol with no regard for the most basic rules of public information. This is a genuine attempt to rewrite history, to pretend that the Protocol doesn't exist ."
" By removing this essential information that is vital to understanding climate change and the international effort to combat it, the Conservative government is failing to set a good example to Canadians on tackling this issue and respecting our international obligations ," said Matthew Bramley of the Pembina Institute. " This act, which amounts to a rewriting of Canada's recent history, recalls the Soviet methods of controlling information ."
Political Manoeuvring and Disinformation
Member of Parliament and Bloc Québécois Critic for the Environment, Bernard Bigras, feels that the Harper government's tactics prevent citizens from easily accessing information on the sources of greenhouse gas emissions and even the impact climate change has on our environment.
" This is nothing but disinformation ," he said. " We have gone back to a time when paternalistic governments declared 'We know what is right for the people! '"
The Bloc Québécois Critic pointed out that the Sauvons Kyoto petition regularly gets close to 2,000 signatures a day. " Unfortunately, the 31,000 people who have already shown their support for Kyoto are not that important to the Harper government. This government would rather listen to the 28,000 people who demanded that the gun registry be scrapped ."
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June 20, 2006
Rona Ambrose Loses Key Player
The Chief of Staff to federal Environment Minister Rona Ambrose quit on Friday.
It seems that Daniel Bernier made his decision after the Sierra Club of Canada gave the federal government an "F" for withdrawing from the Kyoto targets. (See the news brief of June 19, 2006: Ottawa n'obtient pas la note de passage.)
The Minister has refused to comment on Mr. Bernier's departure. Yet Conservative sources say that Mr. Bernier did not share the government's philosophy and that he would have been used as a scapegoat by the Minister, who has been roundly criticized since she announced that the Harper government wanted out of Kyoto.
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June 19, 2006
A step in the right direction
According to Greenpeace Québec Director Steven Guilbeault, the plan introduced by the Quebec government on June 16 "proves that we can achieve the Kyoto targets while making Quebec society more prosperous, contrary to the assertions of Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his Environment Minister, Rona Ambrose."
"Like the Kyoto Protocol, the plan isn't perfect, but it's a giant step in the right direction," said Mr Guilbeault, who considers that Stephen Harper should follow Quebec 's example instead of modelling himself on George W. Bush's policies.
In addition to Greenpeace Québec, a number of other environmental groups have expressed their satisfaction with Quebec's greenhouse gas reduction plan, including Nature Québec/UQCN, the Regroupement national des conseils régionaux de l'environnement du Québec (RNCREQ), the CRE de la capitale nationale, Accès transports viables, ENvironnement JEUnesse and Equiterre.
The plan will make it possible to reduce Quebec 's greenhouse gas emissions by 1.5% from what they were in 1990. "In our opinion, Quebeckers are going to reach a consensus pretty fast on supporting the plan," said Hugo Séguin of Equiterre, "and we hope this will force the Harper government to respect Kyoto ."
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June 19, 2006
Ottawa fails to get a passing grade
The Sierra Club of Canada has given Quebec an A+ for its greenhouse gas reduction plan, while Ottawa is getting an F for its retreat from the Kyoto targets.
The Sierra Club is especially severe on federal Environment Minister Rona Ambrose, who took the Harper government's position to the Bonn conference.
At the conference, Germany for one was scathing about Canada 's defeatism. According to the Harper government, Canada is incapable of achieving its Kyoto targets, which it claims are unattainable and unrealistic.
On the Sierra Club of Canada's report card, the federal government and Alberta are at the bottom of the class this year on everything to do with the environment.
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June 16, 2006
A report on emissions by Large Final Emitters (LFEs)
The federal government has finally released a list of Large Final Emitters in Canada, as well as the number of megatonnes of greenhouse gases which they emitted in 2004.
With 104 megatonnes in 2004, Alberta's 99 major emitters pushed the western province to the top of the list. Alberta's GHG emissions totalled 234.51 megatonnes in 2004.
For their part, Ontario's 81 major transmitters came second, after emitting 70.8 megatonnes of GHGs in 2004. Ontario released a total of 203.11 megatonnes of GHGs in 2004.
Saskatchewan came third, as its 19 major emitters released 21.4 megatonnes, while Quebec and its 52 final emitters came fourth with 19.6 megatonnes of GHGs.
In 2004, GHG emissions in Quebec and Saskatchewan were 91.84 megatonnes and 69.08 megatonnes respectively.
As shown in the following table, in 2004, Quebec was still the Canadian province with the lowest GHG emissions per capita.
GHG emissions per capita in 2004
(in tonnes) |
Quebec |
12.2 |
British Columbia |
15.9 |
Ontario |
16.4 |
Prince Edward Island |
16.8 |
Manitoba |
17.1 |
Newfoundland and Labrador |
20.5 |
Nova Scotia |
24.8 |
New Brunswick |
31.5 |
Saskatchewan |
69.0 |
Alberta |
73.2 |
|
|
Canada |
23.73 |
Canada excluding Quebec |
27.30 |
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June 16, 2006
Polluter Pay
According to Jeffrey Sachs, an US economist on the political left, there is only one way to tackle climate change: by making those who release greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere pay more.
"Be sure that without a price on carbon, there is no (large) scaled solution to this problem,'' the Columbia University professor told the audience at a conference in the Laurentians.
At the conference, Jeffrey Sachs, who believes that a tax on carbon dioxide emissions must be imposed, has said that Stephen Harper wants to "blow off Kyoto because it's mildly inconvenient."
"Without that price, we are resigned to have an economic system that prevents responsible environmental action," said Jeffrey Sachs.
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June 15, 2006
Québec takes action!
The Quebec government has announced its intention to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in Quebec by 1.6% from 1990 levels between 2006 and 2012 .
The reduction plan made public proposes measures aimed in particular at the transport sector, where the government wants to limit the speed of heavy vehicles and encourages the public to do the same. This plan also proposes measures in the energy, agriculture, government operations and residual materials sectors.
To finance this reduction plan, Quebec wants to get the oil and gas sectors to contribute by imposing an annual royalty of $200 million.
By going it alone in this shared jurisdiction, Quebec is highlighting the inaction of the Harper government. However, since it attains only 72% of Kyoto 's objective for greenhouse gas reduction, Quebec 's plan demonstrates that federal support is necessary.
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June 14, 2006
Cannibal polar bears
Starving polar bears, unable to get enough food because global warming is causing the ice to melt much earlier, are starting to eat one another.
This dire theory, advanced by Canadian and American researchers, is based on the discovery two years ago of three cases of cannibalism among polar bears.
The polar bear has just been added to the World Conservation Union's list of threatened species. It is estimated that their population could drop by 30% over the next 45 years, in part because of the impact of global warming on polar ice sheets.
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June 8
Antarctica in shock!
In the kingdom of the ice floes, temperatures have jumped by 6°C since 1951. What could be more troubling, when we know that melting in the Antarctic is a precursor of much more dramatic changes for our own environment and way of life?
Jean Lemire, leader of a scientific mission to the Antarctic aboard the sailing ship Sedna IV , voiced the intense disquiet of the mission's members when he said, "Our expedition is supposed to be using sleds, skis, and snowshoes, and there isn't even an inch of ice around the ship. Winter is slow in arriving, and the sea is refusing to freeze."
Contrary to the claims of the Harper government, the mission's scientists realize that climate change is real and can have catastrophic effects. "This is the spot on our planet that is heating up the fastest," Lemire explains. "[...] Everything is changing here at an incredible rate."
He criticizes the Harper government's approach to the Kyoto Protocol: "The Harper government's positions are appalling. We're going backwards at top speed. I have a feeling that his government will pay a high price for refusing to recognize the environmental groundswell among ordinary people."
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June 8
Quebeckers prefer Kyoto to the Harper position
According to a Léger Marketing poll, 79% of Quebeckers prefer respect for Canada 's Kyoto commitments to the position defended by the Harper government.
55% of those questioned said that the position of Stephen Harper's Conservatives on Kyoto makes them have less confidence in his government.
The poll, which surveyed 1,004 Quebeckers aged 18 and over between May 24 and 28, 2006, has a margin of error of 3.4%, 19 times out of 20.
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June 7
Economists conclude Harper is on the wrong track
In a letter to Stephen Harper, 30 economists at major universities in Quebec and Canada refute the economic argument the Prime Minister has been using to discredit the objectives of the Kyoto Protocol.
They consider that the Harper government is on the wrong track in arguing that it is necessary to formulate a plan specifically for Canada :
"[ translation ] A climate policy formulated solely for Canada and not incorporating international cooperation is doomed to be ineffective both environmentally and economically. The Kyoto Protocol and the Asia-Pacific Partnership are complementary, not substitutes for one another [...] The Canadian economy urgently needs a clear signal that the current trajectory of greenhouse gas emissions is no longer acceptable, and this signal cannot simply entail a call for voluntary initiatives, which have been amply shown to be ineffectual."
For these economists and academics, efforts to reduce our energy consumption and consequent greenhouse gas emissions would be beneficial and would justify the required investment even if the warming predicted by the scientific community did not materialize.
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June 5
Responsibility to reduce greenhouse gas emissions
On the opening of the Economic Forum of the Americas in Montreal, the Premier of Quebec, Jean Charest, said on June 5 that citizens and governments have a moral responsibility to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
"Even today, people still question the Kyoto accord. I realize it's not perfect, but it's our best chance today of combating climate change," said Mr. Charest.
He added:
"If we don't set an example, how can we ask our neighbours to the South to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions? How can we ask China, India and developing countries to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions if we are not willing to do so ourselves"?
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June 4
The population overwhelmingly supports the Kyoto Protocol.
According to a Decima survey released on June 4, 59% of Canadians said that the Kyoto Protocol is important and that Canada should not withdraw from it.
Quebeckers back Kyoto by 66%. Only 27% of Quebeckers favour an alternative approach.
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June 4
Canadian cities fight for Kyoto
In the wake of the rallying cry of the Sauvons Kyoto! Coalition, the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) expressed its support on Sunday, June 4, for Canada's implementation of the Kyoto Protocol.
At a congress in Montreal, mayors from Quebec and Canada passed a resolution calling on Prime Minister Stephen Harper to meet the commitments of the treaty to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
The FCM argues that some decisions could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 55%, for example by improving public transit. The FCM wants to be at the table when the Conservatives develop an action plan on climate change, promised for the fall.
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June 1
800 scientists support Kyoto
At the 40th Canadian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society Congress on June 1, 800 scientists stressed the importance of reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
They passed an emergency resolution calling on the Harper government to respect the Kyoto Protocol. Many members expressed their surprise that the Harper government turned its back on Kyoto.
"Canada has already signed the Kyoto Protocol. We therefore have an obligation to act."
Ian Rutherford,
Executive Director, Canadian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society
"How can an environmental plan that cannot meet, that does not want to meet, the Kyoto objectives be better than Kyoto? I find that baffling."
Jacques Derome,
Professor, Department of Oceanic and Atmospheric Sciences
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May 24
On May 24, the National Assembly unanimously agreed to a motion calling on the federal government to meets its commitments under the Kyoto Protocol.
"That the National Assembly of Quebec call on the federal government to meet its international commitments and its objective for greenhouse gas reduction established under the Kyoto Protocol, by providing funding for the implementation of the Quebec Action Plan on Climate Change."
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May 11
Fighting climate change has become a priority. To this end, the Bloc Québécois introduced in the House of Commons in May a motion reaffirming the importance of meeting the greenhouse gas reduction targets of the Kyoto Protocol.
"That, in the opinion of the House, the government should: (a) take the necessary measures to ensure that Canada meets its objective for greenhouse gas reduction established under the Kyoto Protocol, in an equitable manner while respecting the constitutional jurisdictions and responsibilities of Quebec and the provinces; and (b) publish, by October 15, 2006, an effective and equitable plan for complying with the Kyoto Protocol that includes a system of emission objectives for large emitters along with an exchange of emission rights accompanied by a bilateral agreement with Quebec and the provinces that want it, which could be based on a territorial approach."
Motion introduced on the Bloc Québécois Supply Day, May 11, 2006.
Agreed to by the majority (169 against 125), May 16, 2006
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