Leaked environmental plan promises to cut greenhouse gases by 20% and ban standard lightbulbs
http://calsun.canoe.ca/News/National/2007/04/25/4128130-sun.html
OTTAWA -- The government promises to ban inefficient light bulbs, cut greenhouse gas emissions by 20% and dramatically reduce air pollution as part of a national environmental initiative. Details of the long-awaited plan unexpectedly became public late yesterday after a speech Environment Minister John Baird intended to deliver later this week was faxed by mistake to the opposition Liberals. The premature release of the plan capped a bizarre evening of claims and counter-claims that put a dent in the young government's reputation for discipline. "It was mistakenly faxed to the wrong fax machine," Baird said. "I'm the minister. I take responsibility for that. That's unusual in this town."
The blueprint, dubbed the Turning the Corner plan, includes various measures to stop the rise of greenhouse gases in three to five years. "The previous government was never able to put on the brakes," the speech says. "We will do that beginning today." Once halted, the government plans to reduce greenhouse gases, so that by 2020, Canada will have cut them by 150 million tonnes. That represents 20% of current emissions. The government also plans to impose targets on industry so that air pollution is slashed in half by 2015. To reduce greenhouse gases, the government plans to impose "strict targets" for industry. Firms will be able to make in-house reductions, take advantage of domestic emissions trading, purchase offsets, use the Clean Development Mechanism under the Kyoto Protocol, and invest in a technology fund.
In addition to exploring domestic trading, the government will look at future linkages with emissions trading systems in the U.S. and possibly Mexico. That represents something of a change from Conservative policy. Harper and Baird have repeatedly brushed aside requests to take part in any international trading of emissions credits. Companies who reduced their greenhouse gas emissions prior to 2006 will also be rewarded with a one-time credit for early action. Baird's remarks also say the government will announce a ban on conventional incandescent light bulbs today.
All this left the Conservatives dealing with an embarrassing breach of secrecy. Yesterday the Tories flip-flopped and backed a motion in the House of Commons to meet Kyoto targets. Although the spectre of diving straight into Kyoto left the oil and gas sector gasping, as details of what the Tories plan to do in the environmental front started to leak out last night , a lot of those fears dissipated, said oil and gas analyst Peter Linder of DeltaOne Capital Inc. Setting targets for greenhouse gas emission and air pollution reductions was a necessary step for the government, as is it feels the pressure from the Canadian public to do something about the environment, said Linder. But where the Tory plan is more advantageous than Kyoto is in terms of timelines, he said. "2020 is 12-and-a-half years away and that's a long time from now ... so it's really buying time," said Linder.
"This is something that is reasonable, that I think will make Canadians happy, make most politicians happy and it's far enough away not to have a big impact on our economy, on Alberta and on the oil and gas industry." Implementing the Kyoto Protocol, as it's laid out in its written form, would cripple industry from coast to coast, send energy commodities soaring and force unemployment and interest rates to sky rocket, said Linder. "It will hurt everybody -- everybody working on the oil and gas industry, everybody ... in the steel industry, everybody working in the automobile industry ... every industry you can name," he said.
No comments:
Post a Comment