Canada will not meet its Kyoto targets but can still be held up as an example for the rest of the world, Prime Minister Stephen Harper said in Germany on the eve of the G8 summit. Harper blamed the previous Liberal government for Canada's failure to meet Kyoto. "Frankly, up to now, our country has been engaged in a lot of `talking the talk,' but not, `walking the walk,' when it comes to greenhouse gases,'' he told a business audience in Germany. "Our predecessors in government committed our country to the Kyoto protocol ... and then they did nothing to achieve this goal.'' The prime minister said Canada's economy could face devastation if it attempted to now enforce the standards. But he said his government has a solution that the entire planet can follow -- intensity-based greenhouse-gas reduction targets The intensity system calls for less pollution per unit of production but has been widely blasted by environmentalists who say it offers no absolute guarantees that emissions will ever go down. 
While few governments support the system, Harper said it would allow countries like China and India to join in climate-change efforts without having to sacrifice their economies. "We cannot afford to have the world divided on this issue, to pit right against left, Europe against America, or the developed countries against the developing world,'' he said. "We need a plan that takes into account both different starting points and different national circumstances, but that moves us all towards a common destination.''
Support for U.S.
Harper's expected support for the U.S. view on climate change is promising to create a rift at the G8 summit. The G8 nations have been wrestling with finding a climate change solution that works for everyone, but there is a growing gap between the position of the U.S. and most other countries. The U.S. rejects ambitious greenhouse gas-reduction targets proposed by German Chancellor Angela Merkel. The Germans want to see a resolution holding the rise in global temperature to two degrees Celsius, the level at which scientists say damage to the planet can be contained. Doing so will require a cut in greenhouse gas emissions of at least 50 per cent below 1990 levels by 2050, say the Germans and most other European nations. U.S. President George rejects that target. He wants to make sure that any new deal includes China, India and other emerging economies. Bush also wants to take the negotiating process away from the United Nations and allow countries to set individual targets. Harper has indicated he hopes to play the role of broker between the two sides to try and find a solution that works for everyone.
While few governments support the system, Harper said it would allow countries like China and India to join in climate-change efforts without having to sacrifice their economies. "We cannot afford to have the world divided on this issue, to pit right against left, Europe against America, or the developed countries against the developing world,'' he said. "We need a plan that takes into account both different starting points and different national circumstances, but that moves us all towards a common destination.''Support for U.S.
Harper's expected support for the U.S. view on climate change is promising to create a rift at the G8 summit. The G8 nations have been wrestling with finding a climate change solution that works for everyone, but there is a growing gap between the position of the U.S. and most other countries. The U.S. rejects ambitious greenhouse gas-reduction targets proposed by German Chancellor Angela Merkel. The Germans want to see a resolution holding the rise in global temperature to two degrees Celsius, the level at which scientists say damage to the planet can be contained. Doing so will require a cut in greenhouse gas emissions of at least 50 per cent below 1990 levels by 2050, say the Germans and most other European nations. U.S. President George rejects that target. He wants to make sure that any new deal includes China, India and other emerging economies. Bush also wants to take the negotiating process away from the United Nations and allow countries to set individual targets. Harper has indicated he hopes to play the role of broker between the two sides to try and find a solution that works for everyone.
Environment Minister John Baird, who travelled with Harper to Germany, told CTV's Question Period not to expect any major developments out of the summit. The G8 meets from June 6 to 8 in the coastal town of Heiligendamm. Some G8 leaders are seeking a deadline of late 2009 for a replacement deal for the Kyoto Protocol, which expires in 2012. The U.S. refused to ratify Kyoto and Canada's Conservative government has rejected the target of a six per cent cut in emissions below 1990 levels by 2012. The next round of climate talks is set for Bali, Indonesia in December.
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