Better late than never
Well, the Conservatives appear to have an environmental plan, which will meet the Kyoto targets... by 2020. Or maybe 2025. But eventually, they will be met.
So, it's obviously not a perfect plan, since the targets won't be met for a long time from now, but at least it is a plan. While it would be better to target for only a few years late (maybe reaching targets by 2015, say), the big question now is if it will actually be enforced.
It's better than nothing, and the Globe seems to think nobody will overly like it. It is a plan, at similar to the Afghanistan vote for the NDP, it's a choice whether to accept a target that's later than you like, or continue holding out for something better, which won't be coming.
*UPDATE: Well, thanks to Scott for pointing it out, but it appears that the Greens have a statement saying how these targets are weaker than the previous ones. Now, I won't take everything the Greens say at face value, and I do feel that targets for 2020 are better than targets for 2050, but there is still the point that the Conservatives are trying to use different baselines (2006 vs 2003), and that it really doesn't come too close to the Kyoto commitments, even by 2020. I still feel it's better than nothing, and that it could be used as a starting point. We just need to push the Conservatives to do more.
6 comments:
The plan wont even be subject to a vote in Parliament... they're doing it thru existing environmental regulations... therefore.. their intent is to kill off the modified Clean Air and Climate Change Act.
Its time to step up the heat. The Globe poll by a 2-1 margin rejected a made-in-Canada approach and said we should continue to try to achieve Kyoto targets. This plan is unacceptable.
This plan is unacceptable.
You think Canadians will really accept the pain of full Kyoto?
C'mon. Get real.
It is a plan and something is at least going to get done. I am sick of both sides shooting down every suggestion that is made while time keeps slipping by. Seeing as the Conservatives have the power, at least a slight majority, let them initiate their plan. If it is a fiasco, vote their asses out in 2008 or whenever the next election is, and let someone else run their plan. As long as something is getting done. I am sick of the senseless bickering.
The Green Party shows that this plan is even weaker then Ambrose's widely panned plan in the original Clean Air Act. This is nothing but window dressing desgigned to fool Canadians.
Joanne.. you can believe Chicken Little.. er.. John Baird all you want.. but a majority of Canadians don't. There are many environmental groups and economists saying meeting Kyoto will not cause economic Armageddon. It is time for the fearmongers to be exposed.
Yeah, I just put an update with the new info. Foolish me to believe the raw basics of what I read in a report.
And as for the targets, I'm not sure if we could even meet the full Kyoto guidelines, but I think we should be able to meet the targets maybe 3-5 years late (so get to the full 6% below 1990 levels by 2015-2017 instead of 2012), without any troubles. We need to try as best we can, and after reading up a bit more, it's obvious that this plan isn't nearly enough. Better than no plan, but not nearly enough.
Kyoto emission reduction targets by 2025
plus a bonus air polution reduction of 50% by 2015.
Base line year, 2006, the year the Cons took over government.
Hardest targets on oil and gas in the WORLD.
Domestic carbon trading system, later expanding to North America.
Penalties to a research and development fund that stays in the province that collected the penalty.
Credits for companies that reduced emissions prior to 2006.
So yes, it is enough, Kyoto targets reached, but 13 years later than Libs agreed to.
So if the Climate Change Deniers can come up with a plan, what the hell were Libs doing for all those years? With 2 majorities and Dipper back up minority, what was stopping you from legislating a plan??
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