THERE is only one global accord that specifies curbs in greenhouse gas emissions, The Kyoto Protocol. It’s named after a town in Japan and it was the culmination of a process launched with the Rio Summit in 1992.
The Kyoto Protocol was used to lambaste John Howard for not ratifying it when he was Australian Prime Minister and ratifying Kyoto made something of a hero of Prime Minister Kevin Rudd.
Now it appears Canada is on the verge of announcing its formal withdraw from Kyoto. This is a big symbolic deal. Canada would be the first country to abandon the agreement after ratifying it.
Under the agreement Canada agreed to reduce greenhouse emissions to 6 per cent below 1990 levels by 2012. Canada cannot meet this commitment with emissions having continued to rise. By officially withdrawing from Kyoto Canada can apparently avoid paying the associated penalty for failing in its quest.
Not surprisingly various activists including the head of the international climate strategy for WWF, Tasneem Essop, are crying foul. Canada may be lambasted, but they will be setting a good example, an example Australia should follow.
And the UN climate conference opened yesterday in Durban. When are they going to start doing these things by Skype?
Jennifer Marohasy BSc PhD has worked in industry and government. She is currently researching a novel technique for long-range weather forecasting funded by the B. Macfie Family Foundation.