Home > News > 2006 > New England and Eastern Canada 2006 CC Report Card

For release: August 28, 2006

Eastern Canadian Premiers and New England Governors' Graded on their Response to the Climate Crisis

Fredericton, NB - A report card on Climate Action was released today by a coalition of environmental organizations in Canada and the United States on the 5th anniversary of the New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers climate action accord. Concerned about the lack of action to cut carbon pollution in both countries, the Premiers and Governors agreed in 2001 to take a serious of actions to reduce emissions to 1990 levels by 2010 and 10% below that by 2020.

The 2006 Report Card on Climate Change Action was written to gauge the progress of individual provinces and states in meeting the goals of the 2001 Eastern Canada/New England accord on climate action.

Québec is at the head of the class with a B+. Premier Jean Charest launched a climate action plan earlier this year that, if implemented, would ensure an overall emissions reduction of 1,5% below 1990 levels by 2012. Measures include the adoption of California-style standards for vehicle emissions, the improvement of the province's existing building code , large investments in household and business energy efficiency programs, new investments in public transportation, all funded by a 200M$/year carbon levy , and the aggressive development of renewable energy sources, in addition to its hydro power.

New Hampshire finds itself at the bottom of the heap with a D+. The laggard on the Canadian side of the border is New Brunswick with a C-. Premier Bernard Lord was notable by his silence this Spring when his fellow Premiers from Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec and PEI publicly affirmed their support for Kyoto after Prime Minister Stephen Harper launched his campaign to bury the climate crisis as an issue

“It looks like Quebec, PEI, Newfoundland and Labrador are in pitching distance of the accord's target to reduce carbon pollution to 1990 levels by 2010,” said David Coon, Chair of the Canadian Climate Action Network. “New Brunswick has let carbon pollution spew out of control, so they will have announce new regulations and make major public investments quickly if they are to meet the target on time,” said Coon.

“Québec has produced an impressive and comprehensive climate change action plan that now needs to be implemented. Québec looks good on paper : now it has to deliver”, says Hugo Séguin, climate change coordinator at Équiterre.

“None of the New England states are on track to meeting the bi-national accord's 2010 target, although Connecticut and Maine have are best positioned to meet their obligations on time, according to Brian Thurber of the Clean Water Fund who coordinated the report card project. Both Maine and Connecticut have laws on the books requiring them to meet the accord's target for cutting carbon pollution. Both states have strong plans detailing how they intend to accomplish this and have already adopted the California standard for tailpipe emissions.

“The good news is that there are a few Canadian and American jurisdictions treating the climate crisis with the urgency it deserves, and they are discovering at the same time that their actions to cut carbon pollution will protect their citizens from the rapidly rising costs of energy,” said the Climate Action Network's David Coon. “It's not too late to resolve the climate crisis, but the regulations, fiscal measures and public investments that are necessary have to be made now. Delaying any further could put solutions to the climate crisis completely out of reach,” said Coon.

“The key is for the Premiers and Governors to deliver on their promises with a sweeping energy conservation strategy that will protect our climate, cut soaring energy costs, boost jobs and productivity,” said Bruce Pearce with the Sierra Club of Canada's Atlantic Chapter in St. John's.

The New England and Eastern Canada 2006 Report Card on Climate Action can be downloaded from www.conservationcouncil.ca, www.ecologyaction.ca, www.climateactionnetwork.ca, or www.newenglandclimate.org

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Contacts:

Quebec: Hugo Seguin - Équiterre
New Brunswick: David Coon - Conservation Council
Nova Scotia: Brendan Haley - Ecology Action Centre
Newfoundland and Labrador: Bruce Pearce - Sierra Club of Canada
New England Climate Coalition: Brian Thurber