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The world has lost patience with Canada. Finally.
By Lisa McCrummen
Tuesday, December 01, 2009
The world has lost patience with Canada. Finally.
George Monbiot, a columnist for the Guardian newspaper and the author of Heat, a bestselling book on climate change spelled it out for the world in his column yesterday: "Canada is now to Climate What Japan is to Whaling." He said that Canada’s climate bullying tactics to ensure that it expands its dirty oil that have caused "shock and revulsion everywhere.
This shouldn’t be really be news. Canada already trails most developed countries on climate change progress and Canada has long been acting as a silent climate ‘hit man’. But, recently it’s been ratcheting up its efforts to a shocking level by actively blocking the world from moving forward on climate progress. This new role as climate saboteur has elicited pointed criticism from foreign governments: in fact last week, a concerted campaign began to EXPEL Canada from the Commonwealth.
While there have been rumblings in the past, more government leaders ,who have invested financial and political capital to tackle global warming are finally outing Canada’s behind-the-scenes efforts and letting the world know that they’ve "lost patience" with the Harper government. A diplomatic source said today to the Toronto Star. "There’s a sense that Harper hasn’t invested anything."
It’s worth repeating Monbiot’s quick chronology about how Canada took two steps back for its dirty oil:
After giving the finger to Kyoto, Canada then set out to prevent the other nations striking a successor agreement. At the end of 2007, it singlehandedly blocked a Commonwealth resolution to support binding targets for industrialised nations. After the climate talks in Poland in December 2008, it won the Fossil of the Year award, presented by environmental groups to the country that had done most to disrupt the talks. The climate change performance index, which assesses the efforts of the world’s 60 richest nations, was published in the same month. Saudi Arabia came 60th. Canada came 59th.
In June this year the media obtained Canadian briefing documents which showed the government was scheming to divide the Europeans. During the meeting in Bangkok in October, almost the entire developing world bloc walked out when the Canadian delegate was speaking, as they were so revolted by his bullying. Last week the Commonwealth heads of government battled for hours (and eventually won) against Canada’s obstructions. A concerted campaign has now begun to expel Canada from the Commonwealth.
In Copenhagen next week, this country will do everything in its power to wreck the talks. The rest of the world must do everything in its power to stop it. But such is the fragile nature of climate agreements that one rich nation " especially a member of the G8, the Commonwealth and the Kyoto group of industrialised countries " could scupper the treaty. Canada now threatens the wellbeing of the world.
Why? There’s a simple answer: Canada is developing the world’s second largest reserve of oil.
IUS audiences should pay particular attention: that’s because Canada has been quietly locking the US into a future dependent on Canadian dirty oil . It’s been working to expand tar sands into the US via a spiderweb of thousands of miles of pipeline, refineries and even tanker traffic that would keep the US addicted to the world’s dirtiest oil for decades to come. Canada has also been conducting an all out lobbying campaign to get US to embrace Canada Oil Sands. In the last month, Canada’s Environmental Minister was in California to push back on clean energy progress – a direct challenge to the future of tar sands. Insider’s say for Canada’s dirty oil strategy, the most immediate concern is not the federal legislation slowly taking shape in Washington, DC, but the new fuel regulations approved by the state of California in April.
Now is your chance do something about it right now: Insist that Canada stop pushing the world towards a climate catastrophe. .
Take action #1: Take 3 minutes and watch The Tar Sands BLOW at thetarsandsblow.org.
We are happy to share with you a provocative and engaging new video that tells the story of the tar sands.
Take action #2: Sign the "speak up" petition accompanying the video – tar sands are the wrong answer.
Take action #3: Share the link far and wide with family, friends, colleagues – let’s get the message about the tar sands out there!
Visit our site often – we will update you on additional actions, provide updates on negotiations inside the conference and taking part in numerous events and climate justice movement activities happening outside.
Tagged with: copenhagen, whaling
