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For release: December 10, 2008

Canada Leads Race to the Bottom at UN Climate Negotiations

Poznan, Poland - Just as the world community was beginning to look again to North America for leadership, Canada is digging in its heels, obstructing progress at UN climate talks this week.

“It’s such a shame,” said the David Suzuki Foundation’s Dale Marshall. “Canadians are saying that they want to see action on climate change, and the world’s foremost decision-makers are saying it’s possible to fix the environment and the economy at the same time. We have Obama saying yes we can, and Canada says, no we won’t.”

A new study, released by the David Suzuki Foundation and the Pembina Institute shows that Canada can do its fair share, reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 25 per cent from 1990 levels by 2020, while maintaining a strong economy and job growth. “It’s becoming increasingly clear that Canada is using the global economic downturn to justify its demand for weak intensity targets, rather than the strong science-based targets the world needs to avoid dangerous climate change,” said Steven Guilbeault of Équiterre.

Until recently, the U.S. had been the major roadblock in climate change talks, with the Bush administration refusing to discipline the largest and most polluting economy in the world. That position is shifting with the election of Barack Obama, who though absent from these talks, has indicated a willingness to bring the U.S. back into the international fold. But even before traveling to Poznan, Environment Minister (and Calgary Centre MP) Jim Prentice said that Canada will not submit to what he called “unrealistic” targets, adding that the cuts being championed by scientists and other world leaders would wreck the economy in Canada - as if that economy depends only on selling the world’s dirtiest oil from the Alberta tar sands.

Canada’s resistance is particularly disappointing for people in the developing world, who are reaching out to leading economies and finding no one reaching back. “We have been very encouraged at this meeting by the Chinese government’s movement, but when a wealthy country like Canada refuses to participate, it’s very difficult to maintain momentum,” said Hou Yanli, Director, Global Climate Initiative, WWF China.

“One of the richest countries in the world is blocking progress while we are already struggling with the devastating consequences of climate change. Industrialized countries like Canada must show leadership,” said Moussa Na Abau Mamouda of ENDA Third World, Dakar, Senegal.

“It’s so disappointing. Canadians expect better,” said Joy Kennedy of the United Church of Canada. “We used to be proud of Canada’s leadership on the world stage. We used to exercise moral authority in times of crisis. Now it’s painful to watch Canada behaving as if climate change is not a crisis-even in our own country, particularly the far North. We can’t continue to postpone action. Having been so much a part of creating the problem, it’s time we started providing solutions.”

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