OTTAWA - Canada's Conservative government tried to deflect criticism on Wednesday that its environmental plan may actually permit greenhouse gas emissions to increase, contrary to the country's Kyoto commitments.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper, who has said Canada cannot meet the targets set out in the Kyoto protocol on climate change, said on Tuesday his minority government will introduce legislation next week outlining its own targets for curbing smog and greenhouse gases, without giving any details.
He did say, however, that there would be "intensity-based" targets rather than absolute ones for emissions reductions, prompting an immediate outcry from environmentalists and opposition politicians. Intensity-based targets mean that industries would have to reduce emissions per unit of production but as industries expand, so would emissions overall.
"Next week you'll get a chance to see our discussion on targets, how targets will be set, depending on the industry sector," Environment Minister Rona Ambrose told CBC television in a response to a question on the intensity-based approach.
Kyoto obliges Canada to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 6 percent from 1990 levels by 2012. Current emissions are almost 35 percent above that target.
"Industry will now have mandatory targets ... the health of Canadians is what will guide how we implement a regulatory framework," Ambrose said, citing cases of asthma and respiratory problems in children and the elderly.
No sector will be free of regulation, she said, including the oil and gas industry in Alberta, where Harper has his political base.
Alberta is the province with the highest greenhouse gas emissions, according to a report released on Wednesday by environmental group Pollution Watch. Of the top 10 greenhouse gas emitters in 2004, six were Alberta-based power companies, the report said.
Ambrose said that Harper recognizes that absolute caps on emissions are feasible in some cases, referring to a roundtable working group that last June recommended increasing energy efficiency and improving techniques for capturing carbon to mitigate global warming.
But pundits pounded the minority government's Clean Air Act as no more than "political smog", as a headline in the influential daily the Globe and Mail put it on Wednesday, aimed at wooing voters who have pledged their support for Kyoto.
"We can probably abandon any hope of measurable improvements in air quality for many years to come," wrote Globe columnist John Ibbitson.
Critics say Harper is keenly aware that he needs to act quickly on environmental issues if he is to have any chance of winning a majority in the next election, widely expected next spring.
"As a strategy to win over the unconverted, Harper's Kyoto knockout gambit did not get off to a promising start," said Don Martin, columnist for the National Post newspaper.
Story by Louise Egan
REUTERS NEWS SERVICE
