Canada Pulls Out of the Kyoto Protocol

[Defiant47]

Canada is formally withdrawing from the Kyoto accord, Environment Minister Peter Kent said Monday.

The decision to do so will save the government an estimated $14 billion in penalties, Kent said. The Conservative government says it has no choice given the economic situation.

[...]

The Kyoto Protocol, which expires next year, committed major industrial economies to reducing their annual CO2 emissions to below 1990 levels, while providing financial supports to developing nations to encourage them to follow suit eventually. Canada ratified the accord in 1997 but was not on track to meet its legally binding targets.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/story/2011/12/12/pol-kent-kyoto-pullout.html

So, is the prevailing state of the economy more important than pesky environmental reforms and concerns? Is maintaining a sustainable environment for beyond the next generation a "luxury" that can be dropped at the sight of trouble?

Or is the Kyoto protocol simply short-sighted lip service that doesn't truly achieve anything save for scamming glorious nations such as yours truly's of justly earned funds?

 

[Terxpahseyton]

All that money (well not all, but a lot) spend on CO2-reduction would IMO be better spend on further climate research so that we actually know what we are talking about (and can make meaningful predictions).
But yes that's right. No imminent political capital to be had here. Yes, I love democracy.

 

[Eat_Up_Martha]

The Government has shown time and again that it puts the economic development of the Oilsands above environmental health and our international reputation. This is no surprise - indeed, they've been signalling that it was the case for weeks at least.

We're not the ones who will be suffering the most drastic consequences of climate shifts, but one has to wonder what the future political ramifications of our inaction may be.

 

[Defiant47]

The Government has shown time and again that it puts the economic development of the Oilsands above environmental health and our international reputation. This is no surprise - indeed, they've been signalling that it was the case for weeks at least.

We're not the ones who will be suffering the most drastic consequences of climate shifts, but one has to wonder what the future political ramifications of our inaction may be.

Hey, at least our government represents the will of the people as democratically elected, and it's not like 1.5 times the people voted for more liberal policies than the amount of people that voted for these conservative ideals.

 

[squadbroken]

Obviously that $14 billion would be better spent on fighter jets to use in the upcoming war against Norway

 

[Murky]

What will it take for the world's leaders to pull their heads out of their butts on global warming?

 

[Terxpahseyton]

Reliable predictive models and brought by that a public that really cares?

 

[CELTICEMPIRE]

Obviously that $14 billion would be better spent on fighter jets to use in the upcoming war against Norway

No, I think they should be more worried about when Alaska succeeds from the Union and invades Canada, Yukon and Nunavut won't stand a chance.

 

[Aleksey_aka_al]

Kyoto Protocol is a lie and conspiracy anyway.

 

[Cutlass]

Kyoto Protocol is a lie and conspiracy anyway.

A conspiracy to save the planet?

 

[Aleksey_aka_al]

A conspiracy to save the planet?

No, the conspiracy under the legend of saving the planet. One of those not only discrediting this idea, but preventing it from happening.

 

[Cutlass]

No, the conspiracy under the legend of saving the planet. One of those not only discrediting this idea, but preventing it from happening.

What is it a conspiracy to do then?

 

[warpus]

I don't mind Canada withdrawing from this, for a couple reasons... First, the world's #1 polluter didn't sign on. Second, not every country was equal under this treaty.

I don't want my tax dollars to pay for American and Chinese pollution.

 

[Aleksey_aka_al]

What is it a conspiracy to do then?

Making the rich richer, and the poor poorer, as always. + To save the world (chosen one part of it) from the real green initiative.

 

[Skwink]

Wow Canada, wow.

We're going to starting pumping our emissions north now.

 

[Murky]

KP is just too little, too late. It's not a conspiracy unless you want to start calling green washing a conspiracy. The main problem is there are not any real penalties for emitting Co2, if you don't sign-on to the treaty. So the planet's worst emitters get a pollute for free-card just by opting-out.

It's a pay-me-now or pay-me-later type of deal with AGW. You either drastically cut emissions and prevent it from happening or you pay for it later. The pay-it-later cost will be bigger because of a series disasters at a later date that won't subside by taking action at that point. The beauty of that for politicians is that the worst consequence will probably not happen for a long time, giving them the appearance of doing the right thing. Those inheriting the world pay for it in the long run.

 

[History_Buff]

I don't mind Canada withdrawing from this, for a couple reasons... First, the world's #1 polluter didn't sign on. Second, not every country was equal under this treaty.

I don't want my tax dollars to pay for American and Chinese pollution.

This, sort of. The reasons for bailing out were entirely rational and correct, but I'm still ashamed that we had to do it. It's my opinion that if you're going to sign a treaty, you should damn well follow through on it, because it's the right thing to do.

 

[innonimatu]

Now that you mention the Kyoto Protocol, I think I read somewhere that it was set to lapse anyway. It seems that there are no targets beyond 2012, and without any new agreement it is pretty much dead.

 

[Murky]

Now that you mention the Kyoto Protocol, I think I read somewhere that it was set to lapse anyway. It seems that there are no targets beyond 2012, and without any new agreement it is pretty much dead.

They agreed to extend it another five years, for what good it'll do. *sigh*

 

[uppi]

Canada is one of the countries that might profit from warming. So I can see why they might want to save the money.