Canada's climate stance likely to spark controversy

Canada expects to face international pressureat upcoming climate change talks over its refusal to sign on for a second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol, Environment Minister Peter Kent says.

Canada has already declared that it will not renew its Kyoto commitment "however acute the international pressure," Kent saidduring a speech hosted by theEconomic Club of Canada in Toronto on Tuesday.

The speech precedede thisyear's United Nations climate change talks, known as COP 17, which begin Nov. 28.

"We will only support climate change agreements that are signed and ratified by all major emitters," Kent said,making reference to the fact that developing nations had minimalobligations to reduce emissions under Kyoto and the U.S. had signed but not ratified the agreement.

"It's a straightforward, practical approach. However, it's also an approach that's likely to cause some turbulence for us in the coming weeks."

In fact, Kent said, he had already experienced some of that at some of the pre-meeting meetings.

The Kyoto Protocol was formally adopted in 1997, came into force in 2005, and set firm targets for 37 industrialized nations, including Canada, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that are linked to global climate change. It was signed but not ratified by the U.S.

In 2009, United Nations climate change talks led to the creation of the Copenhagen Accord, a non-binding agreement by both developing and industrialized nations to set new targets for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.

Kent said Canada's new commitments under that agreement were deliberately harmonized with those of the U.S., which "makes sense given the integrated nature of our respective economies and environments."

"As a Government, our principal job is to make the best decisions possible for Canada and Canadas specific environmental, economic and social context," he added.

Carbon tax

In response to questions from the audience, Kent reiteratedthe federalgovernment's position against imposing acarbon tax in Canada such as the one passed by Australia's Senate on Tuesday. He added that the government also doesn't believe insystems thatallow for the capping and trading of emissions "where so many countries have met their commitments by merely buying hot air from depressed Eastern European economies."

Kent also used his speech Tuesday to announce $148.8 million over five years for climate change adaptation, to be distributed through 10 programs in nine departments. That will allow those programs to continue and in some cases, expand.

Under the Kyoto Protocol, Canada committed to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions tosix per cent below 1990 levels by 2012. This past October, Scott Vaughan, federal commissioner of the environment and sustainable development, reported that he thinks "it'snext to impossiblethat Canada is going to be able to reach its Kyoto target."

Under the Copenhagen Accord, Canada committed to reducing emissions by 17 per cent below its 2005 level by 2020. Kent said Tuesday that Canada is about 25 per cent of the way to its target.

A report released earlier this week by the Geneva-based International institute for Sustainable Development said that with the help of provincial programs, Canada isabout halfway to that goal. In order to make up the difference, it suggested introducing emissions targets for industries it hadn't intended to regulate andestablishing a domestic program in which companies would purchase offsets when they can't meet their targets.