$10-billion Kyoto implementation plan unveilehttps://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/1113420022217_5/?hub=TopStories
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$10-billion Kyoto implementation plan unveiled
David Akin, CTV Parliamentary Bureau
Some environmental activists cheered a federal government plan announced Wednesday to spend $10 billion over the next eight years to reduce harmful greenhouse gas emissions in Canada.
But others were disappointed that the government is not asking large industrial polluters to do more to clean up their operations.
"The plan ... is inadequate to achieve Canada's ... emission reduction target," said a statement released by a coalition of environmental groups, including the Canadian Environmental Law Association and Greenpeace Canada.
"One of the major flaws of the plan is the weak targets for industry which puts an incredible burden on the rest of the Canadian economy," said Dale Marshall of the David Suzuki Foundation.
But the Sierra Club's John Bennett said the plan represents a good start.
"We think it's something we should get behind to fix what's wrong over time. It's a living process and there will be constant revisions and improvements.''
Meanwhile, political opponents of the federal Liberal party have denounced the plan. They say it threatens to drive up the costs of driving a car and heating a home while doing little to actually clean up the environment.
Federal Environment Minister Stephane Dion dismissed criticism that the plan will drive up energy costs as an "old-fashioned way (of seeing) the relationship between the environment and the economy."
"You need to transform the economy in a way that greenhouse gas emissions will go down and economy growth will go up, and it's what Canada will do with this plan," he said, appearing on Canada AM.
The Kyoto Protocol is an international agreement which came into effect this year. Countries which signed on -- but not, notably, the United States -- agreed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Greenhouse gases are believed to be responsible for global warming and other harmful climate change effects.
Project Green: The Highlights and the Costs
Ottawa says its plan to ensure Canada meets obligations it agreed to under the protocol will cost $10-billion over eight years.
But the government has so far committed to spending $3.7-billion for Kyoto-related projects in the 2005 and earlier federal budgets.
Ottawa said its plan, dubbed Project Green, will try to reduce Canadian greenhouse gas emissions by 270 megatonnes between 2008 and 2012.
The Climate Fund
The biggest driver of the Project Green plan is a measure the government calls the Climate Fund, funding for which was already announced in the federal budget.
The government says the Climate Fund will be a market-based institution that will buy and sell emission reduction credits on behalf of the Government of Canada. The government says it will buy some credits internationally.
That means as much as $3-billion from Canadian taxpayers will be given to organizations outside the country to pay for projects elsewhere that will lower greenhouse gas emissions. Officials could not provide an estimate of how much will be spent outside the country buying emission credits.
The government believes the Climate Fund will account for between 75 and 115 megatonnes of emission reductions.
The government will also make an investment in what it calls the Partnership Fund. This fund will account for between 55 and 85 megatonnes of the 270 megatonne target.
Money in the Partnership Fund will be used to invest in a green projects such as extending the east-west electricity power grid or building a carbon dioxide capture and storage pipeline. Ottawa is looking for additional investment for some of those projects from various provinces, municipalities and from the private sector.
Large final emitters -- the phrase used to describe polluters in the oil and gas, manufacturing, mining, and thermal electricity sectors -- will be asked to make improvements in their systems to cut emissions by 45 megatonnes by 2012.
A draft target from 2002 had called for a 55 megatonne reduction from corporate Canada.
The government believes another 40 megatonnes of reductions will come through reducing greenhouse gas emissions by consumers. Funds or tax credit programs will be set up, for example, for those who spend money to improve the energy efficiency of their homes. Other programs will provide incentives to Canadians to use public transit or, if they use their own cars, to use cleaner, alternative fuels.
And, because harmful greenhouse gases can be neutralized in some natural ways, the federal government plans to invest in these carbon sinks. One effective kind of sink are forests, for example, so the government will look at programs to manage Canada's forests with an eye towards preserving their capability to consume or neutralize greenhouse gases.
Project Green also provides funding for renewable energy projects, wind power projects and education.
Election threat?
Activists are fearful and opponents are hopeful that the federal Liberals will not be in government to see the plan through to its conclusion.
The revelations at the Gomery Inquiry have emboldened the Liberal's political opponents who could force an election this spring by voting down the Liberal minority government.
If that happens, any pending legislation dies with the fall of the government. Officials with the federal government said key aspects of its Kyoto Plan are part of the federal budget. The budget is currently before the House of Commons and has not yet been passed.
But even if the government falls, officials said parts of the plan could proceed using existing federal environmental legislation.
"Well this plan is for 8 years, 2005 to 2012, Canadians will have more than once the opportunity to renew the confidence in the plan and in the Liberal team that provided the plan to work with Canadians," Dion said, when asked how the plan will hold up if an election is called.
What are greenhouse gases?
Naturally occurring greenhouse gases include water vapour, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and ozone.
While there is still some debate among scientists about how harmful greenhouse gases can be, most agree that greenhouse gases contribute to global warming and other harmful climate changes.
The naturally occurring greenhouse gases are:
Carbon dioxide: Carbon dioxide is released by the burning of fossil fuels like coal, oil and natural gas. Those fuels are used for transportation, for various industrial purposes, for the heating and cooling of buildings, and by deforestation.
Methane: Methane is released from landfills, wastewater treatment and some agricultural practices such as grazing livestock.
Nitrous Oxide: Nitrous oxide is released into the atmosphere through the burning of fossil fuels and the use of some chemical fertilizers.
There are also greenhouse gases that are not naturally occurring. They include hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), perfluorocarbons (PFCs) and sulfur hexafluoride. These gases are generated in a variety of industrial processes.