Tory MP feels the heat

Allison Render 2009-12-22 Kelowna Daily Courier:
A local MP is under fire for denying humans are causing climate change. International environmental group Climate Action Network has released emails sent by Okanagan-Shuswap MP Colin Mayes to constituents. In a series of nearly identical emails, the Conservative MP wrote the cause of global warming “has yet to be substantiated,” and suggested the cause could also be sun activity or “cyclical.” “I am careful not to over react and spend billions of taxpayer dollars because a few scientists say CO2 is causing the planet to warm,” Mayes wrote. “Scientists theorise many things, some prove to be true some not. I want to make certain when I vote my vote is supported by sound scientific facts and less media hype.”

Janet A. Denison received one of the emails and said she was surprised by the statement that only a few scientists support climate change. “I was wondering how many other people in the party share that point of view … to be debating the science, I though we got over that several years ago,” she said. The federal Conservative government has not publicly supported Mayes‘ statements. Okanagan-Shuswap Green Party candidate Huguette Allen has challenged Mayes to a debate on the science of climate change. “This lack of knowledge is much too important to let it go on. I want to ensure he understands the science so he can properly represent his constituents on this crucial issue and pressure government to reduce emissions quickly and decisively,” Allen said. Allen said she was not surprised by the comments, but that she thinks many of Mayes‘ constituents are unaware of the “depth of his misunderstanding.”

A 2007 United Nations report by the Nobel Prize-winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change said global warming is “unequivocal” and said it was “very likely” that the increases in greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere since the Industrial Revolution are to blame. Most major science academies worldwide, including the Royal Society of Canada, agree that human activity is causing climate change.

Ron Cannan, Conservative MP for Kelowna-Lake Country, said climate change is an issue “of concern to many Canadians,” but would not comment on Mayes‘ emails. “Our approach to resolving (climate change) must be balanced between respecting the environment and our economic sustainability,” Cannan said. “We all have a role to play in reducing our carbon footprint.” Last week, world leaders met in Copenhagen to create a new agreement on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, including carbon dioxide produced from burning fossil fuels. The Canadian government was criticized by environmentalists for its approach to cutting emissions.
“Given the disgraceful and obstructive behaviour of the Harper government in Copenhagen, and the revelation of their secret plan to let emissions rise, it is a legitimate question to ask if Prime Minister Harper shares his MP‘s views on the science of climate change,” Graham Saul of Climate Action Network Canada said in a release. Mayes was unavailable for comment.