Climate Shame As Canada Named “Colossal Fossil”

Naming Canada as “Colossal Fossil” at the boldest, most audacious Fossil Award ceremony to date, tuxedo-clad Ben Wikler of Avaaz.org said:

“Fossil of the Year goes to CANADA, for bringing a totally unacceptable position into Copenhagen and refusing to strengthen it one bit. Canada’s 2020 target is among the worst in the industrialized world, and leaked cabinet documents revealed that the governments is contemplating a cap-and-trade plan so weak that it would put even that target out of reach.

“Canada has made zero progress here on financing, offering nothing for the short term or the long term beyond vague platitudes. And in last night’s high-level segment, Canada’s environment minister gave a speech so lame that it didn’t include a single target, number or reference to the science.

“Canada’s performance here in Copenhagen builds on two years of delay, obstruction and total inaction. This government thinks there’s a choice between environment and economy, and for them, tar sands beats climate every time. Canada’s emissions are headed nowhere but up. For all this and more, we name Canada the Colossal Fossil.”

Toronto mayor 'embarrassed' by Canada's environmental record

By Kelly Cryderman, Calgary HeraldDecember 11, 2009

COPENHAGEN — Another day in the Danish capital, another day of climate change activists lambasting Canada's position — this time with Toronto Mayor David Miller assuming the role of chief critic. "Like most Canadians, I'm embarrassed. I'm embarrassed that our government continues to be one of the biggest obstacles to reaching agreement," Miller said moments before accepting two new "Fossil of the Day" awards on behalf of Canada. "I chose to come here to tell people that Canadians are acting despite the fact that Canada isn't. They're acting through their cities. The mayor of Copenhagen and I have convened a summit of mayors here next week. We have over 100 mayors. Cities are doing incredible things. Calgary's rapid transit is all powered by wind, and Canadians themselves, are acting in their own lives as well, and so are many provinces." (more)

-----------------------------------------------

The Mayor of Toronto, David Miller, in Copenhagen made a special guest appearance tonight to collect first and second place “Fossil of the Day” awards, after NGOs from around the world voted to present Canada with a double dishonour for doing the most to obstruct progress in the global climate talks today.

FIRST PLACE: CANADA
It doesn’t get much clearer than this: Canada’s Environment Minister, Jim Prentice, said yesterday that, quote, “it’s in Canada’s interests to replace the Kyoto Protocol with a new agreement.” He didn’t explain whether that’s because he’s scared to face Kyoto’s compliance committee

It also appears that Canada’s environment minister is suffering a serious case of CAN envy. Yesterday, he invented his own prize, the Hot Air of the Day Award, and tried to give it to a Canadian environmental group. It’s a true honor to be recognized for hot air by this government, the world’s acknowledged masters in that area. But even though imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, we’d be even more flattered if you actually signed on to a fair, ambitious, and binding deal instead of trying to wriggle free of the climate promises you’ve already made and broken.

SECOND PLACE: CANADA
Canada’s chief negotiator insisted in a briefing this morning that his country’s target of -3% below 1990 are, in fact, based on science. The price quote–in answer to a question, was: “Yes, Canada’s targets are science-based. Absolutely, yes.”

Last we checked, the IPCC scientific community called for 25-40% emission reductions below 1990 levels. The Fossil Supreme Command Council can only conclude that he wasn’t referring to climate science at all, but rather the science of mathematics–because -3% is, indeed, a number. (Although a very small one.) Speaking of math, Canada already promised in the Kyoto Protocol to go to -6% from 1990 levels. Oops!

Further, when the chief negotiator was asked this morning if he believed Canada’s so called “science based-target” would protect melting summer sea-ice in the North West passage, he responded quite accurately that he is not a scientist and therefore cannot predict sea-ice. Canada, here’s a piece of science you can understand: you’ve won the second place Fossil Award.

THIRD PLACE: THE EUROPEAN UNION
European leaders had the chance to put their mark on the talks today: by agreeing a more ambitious 2020 target, by putting money on the table longer term, by ensuring short term finance is new money, and by closing EU loopholes like hot air and sinks. Five opportunities for leadership. Of the five, they took… zero.

Dec 9 Canada Wins Gold. FOSSIL Award

Canada Declared ‘Prize Fossil’. Tuvalu Wins First Ever Ray of the Day

TUVALU WINS FIRST EVER ‘RAY OF THE DAY’
In an historic new award, NGOs from around the world united in voting Tuvalu the first ever winner of Ray of the Day — to be given on rare occasions for actions to substantially advance progress in global climate talks. The tiny Pacific island nation was celebrated today for its bold proposal to discuss a legal outcome from the Copenhagen summit. Along with other small islands Tuvalu will be one of the first victims of rising seas as warmer temperatures melt glaciers and expand oceans.

FIRST PLACE FOSSIL: CANADA and CROATIA
Canada and Croatia share first for pushing in a Kyoto Protocol contact group against the 1990 base year. Canada in particular has been relentlessly opposed to measuring emissions in relation to the internationally accepted base year of 1990, in favor of–as a senior negotiator put it in a stakeholder meeting–a “more contemporary” base year. Could Canada’s desire to erase the past have something to do with fact that tar sands emissions have more than doubled from 1990 to now? Or is it just an effort to make its tiny little 3% target look a bit bigger?

SECOND PLACE FOSSIL: RUSSIA
Russia wins second place Fossil today for proposing, during the Kyoto Protocol plenary discussion, that President Medvedev’s announced 20-25% reductions were “an important political statement” — not an actual submission for the Kyoto Protocol. “We will not be ready to submit those most recent figures announced by the president,” said Russia’s negotiator, “because they were not intended for the KP.” If you’re not in the Kyoto discussions to discuss Kyoto, what are you here for?

Canada gets a Silver in Fossil awards Dec.8

Fossil of the Day awards: Dec.8

FIRST PLACE: UKRAINE
Ukraine wins first place for having the single worst carbon emissions reduction target in the world: a -20% reduction from 1990 levels… which means a 75% increase from current levels.

SECOND PLACE: THE UMBRELLA GROUP (Industrialized non-EU countries: Canada, Iceland, Japan, Kazakhstan, New Zealand, Norway, Russian Federation, Ukraine, United States and Australia)
A fossil for the Umbrella Group for proposing in this morning’s SBSTA plenary that carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects should qualify as CDM projects.

THIRD PLACE: UKRAINE
Ukraine wins third–and its second Fossil of the Day… of the day!–for refusing to tell anyone how it is using its money from selling emissions credits. Ukraine has sold Japan €300 million worth of emissions permissions. It’s required by its own treaty obligations to explain where that money is going. But when Ukraine’s NGOs asked, their government refused to answer.
-----------------
After 2 days of the Copenhagen Climate Change Meeting:
Canada has 1 bronze and 1 Silver

Fossil of the day 2009-12-07 (Canada gets Bronze)

Fossil of the day 2009-12-07

1st place - All rich countries
2nd place - Sweden, Finland, Austria
3rd place - Canada
Honorable mention - Saudi Arabia

As things heat up at the climate change conference in Copenhagen, Canada has already received an award – but not one to brag about. Canada received a 3rd place award for Environment Minister Jim Prentice comments: “Canada will not be swayed by Copenhagen hype.”