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Home > News > 2009 > News Release
Climate Action Network Canada – Reseau action climat Canada
For immediate release, December 18, 2009
Prime Minister Harper Fails Canadians at UN Climate
Summit
“Copenhagen
Accord” A False Start That Risks Locking In Dangerous Global Warming
Copenhagen
— The Copenhagen climate summit is wrapping up early this morning with a
decision that would fail to protect the world from dangerous climate change if
it is not strengthened immediately, according to members of the Climate Action
Network–Réseau action climat Canada.
Canada
played a negative role throughout the talks and was singled out for
international criticism, winning a satirical prize as the “Fossil of the Year”
as the negotiations concluded.
“This
agreement needs fixing up as soon as possible,” said Graham Saul, Climate
Action Network–Réseau action climat Canada. “Negotiators need to go back to the
table and deliver a real deal for people and the planet before the end of June.
And Canadians need a government that puts climate change ahead of the short-term interests of the oil
industry.”
The tentative
agreement — which has yet to be finalized by the Conference of Parties, as
their meeting is ongoing — does
not lock in legally binding targets for industrialized countries and does not
set a timeline to reach a final agreement. The agreement’s bottom-up approach to
setting targets does not ensure that countries will reduce their emissions in
line with scientific advice on the reductions needed to avoid dangerous climate
change.
“The
federal government came into these talks empty-handed, and two weeks of
intensive criticism failed to budge the government’s unacceptable position,”
said Steven Guilbeault from Équiterre. “Canada’s track record in Copenhagen
consisted of defending a target that falls far short of what the science
demands and failing to commit any new funds to support poorer countries as they
cope with global warming.”
“The Prime
Minister failed Canadians in Copenhagen,” said Dale Marshall, David Suzuki
Foundation. “Canada needs to get back to the table to work for a fair,
ambitious and binding deal. Canadians are demanding strong climate leadership
and that pressure is not going to go away.”
“There
is no question tonight that the Harper government’s refusal to put tough limits
on pollution from the oil industry contributed to our weak position in
Copenhagen,” said Tzeporah Berman, PowerUp Canada. “Without additional
commitments after Copenhagen, Prime Minister Harper will continue to let Canada
fall behind the U.S. in building a new clean economy.”
Canada
will chair the G8 summit in Muskoka in June 2010, and climate change is certain
to be a major agenda item at that meeting.
“Canadians,
provincial and city governments and other countries are calling for leadership
from the federal government,” said Clare Demerse, Pembina Institute. “As host
of the next G8 meeting, Canada cannot continue to delay action at home. The
government must move immediately to put in place a real climate plan at home
and make a meaningful commitment to help poorer countries tackle climate
change.”
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For more information, contact:
Graham
Saul, Executive Director
Climate
Action Network Canada
+(45)
255-360-63 Dale
Marshall, Climate Change Policy Analyst
David
Suzuki Foundation
+ (45)
293-631-45
Steven
Guilbeault, Deputy Director
Équiterre
+ (45)
416-325-44
Tzeporah
Berman, Executive Director
PowerUp
Canada
604-313-4713
Clare
Demerse, Associate Director, Climate Change
Pembina
Institute
+ (45)
269-809-64
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