Why China and India Laugh at Stephen Harper's Climate Targets

Canada has recently lectured India and China several times to clean up their environmental climate record. However, Canada has the worst energy-efficiency record of the G8 and is dramatically less efficient than our European Allies. Given the facts, Mr. Harper’s position that Canada will not sign on to absolute emission intensity targets until others do is laughable. Canada is number eight in the world in absolute total greenhouse gas emissions and among the very least energy-efficient countries in the world.

More notably, the climate issue is about an absolute total cap in emissions - not about becoming efficient at creating more and more climate changing greenhouse gases. Nevertheless, Harper hypocritically demands that others become more efficient.

Mr. Harper's duplicitous drenched arguments are embarrassing Canada around the world.

Stephen Harper has stated that climate treaties are useless unless the developing world comes on board. More plainly, Harper conservatives claim that the primary sources of climate altering greenhouse gas emissions are from the developing world - not from the developed industrialized world. In truth, greenhouse gas emissions from the G8 (including Canada) are greater than the combined absolute emissions from the rest of the world. Eight countries, out of 194 in the world, produce more total climate changing effects than the rest of the world combined (including China and India). Canada is number 8 in the world in total absolute emissions, hardly an insignificant contributor. See reference below.

Contrary to the false statements from Prime Minister Harper, the most significant source of greenhouse emissions is the developed world. The entire world must begin to work on the climate change problem but the principle source being the developed world with the resources to act immediately, Harper's all or nothing position is just plain wrong.

Blaming and shaming poorer countries for a problem that is not principally their fault does not get the climate change job done. Less shaming of others and more accountability should be Mr. Harper's first steps.

References:Canada is number 8 on the absolute emissions list:http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/env_co2_emi-environment-co2-emissions/

GHG Total Emissions (Latest Year)http://globalis.gvu.unu.edu/?2274

See UN report for all per capita: http://maps.grida.no/go/graphic/national_carbon_dioxide_co2_emissions_per_capita . Multiply the per capita numbers by population and sum G8 numbers versus the absolute sum of rest of the worlds emissions.

(c) 2007 Victoria BC