World Wildlife Fund places Canada last on Climate Scoreboard

by albertacowpoke | July 2, 2009 at 06:48 am

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The World Wildlife fund has given Canada a failing grade on its climate change practices. Canada has been placed last among the eight major industrialized nations. This includes the United States.

The ranking is mainly based on Canada's practices at the Alberta Oil Sands. Alberta had launched a major public relations campaign in the U.S. to convince Americans that Alberta oil is clean.

Obviously with killing of some 500 birds, when the alarm system failed this, has persuaded the World Wildlife Fund otherwise.

This is Canada's worst rating since the WWF started to release report cards three years ago. According to the report, Canada's emissions are still rising, largely due to expanding activity at the Alberta Oil Sands, near Fort McMurray.

Canada's emissions are among the worst in the G8, along with Russia.

Even the United States is now ahead of Canada with its efforts to combat climate change.

Here is an article from the Gazette outlining the Report Card and its Targets

The World Wildlife Fund gives Canada a failing grade on its climate change practices, ranking the country behind all other major industrialized nations, including the U.S.

Canada finished in eighth place among the G8 nations -- its worst finish since the WWF first began releasing the annual report card three years ago.

The report finds that Canada is one of the few G8 countries whose emissions are still rising -- largely due to expanding activity in Alberta's tar sands.

And Canada's per-capita emissions are among the worst in the G8, along with sixth-place finisher Russia.

Even the United States is now ahead of Canada in terms of its efforts to combat climate change, says Gerald Butts, president and CEO of WWF Canada.

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Paschen

at 07:29 on July 2nd, 2009

I am not surprise at all, What is worth then being last in the G8 along with Russia is that Canada is the second largest country after Russia, however with only a tiny population of 32 million where as Russia has 141,903,979 citizens living on its territory. It is very sad news. Canada did also make the worth place when it comes to the Grate Lakes Pollution and water conservation.

albertacowpoke

at 07:43 on July 2nd, 2009

Well lip service no longer is an option. Let's hope the boys and girls in Ottawa grow up and take heed. They have heard for years that George Bush, who was not part of Kyoto, did more for climate change then we did.

It's not only the Conservatives who are to blame here, but also the former Liberal government. Even though they signed Kyoto, nothing was done.

Paschen

at 18:19 on July 2nd, 2009

I tried so hard along with others and for a long time to get Ontario to clean up its own act and regulate sewage, Farming and use of pollutants such as pesticides, hormones such as birth control as well as stopping the coal plants and Nuclear plants and replace them with Wind, Bio Gas, Thermal and Solar energy, we had investors lined up, business plans and promises from both the Feds and the Provincial, we build Turbines on good faith and pressured all small towns to clean up their act.

We lost millions of dollar in there and all investors ended up leaving after 15 years of hard work we all cut our loses and moved on to Asia and Europe.

Canada is a beautiful country and with great potential, however they like to pat them self on the back a little to much and do blind fold them self when it comes to reality checks.

It is easier to get an elephant to do a pirouette then it is to get Ottawa, Toronto and the municipal Government to move and make the necessary judicial changes so Wind power can be used effectively and so the Great Lakes can be cleaned up and people can be educated to change their habits.

Well, maybe now they finally will change and do some thing concrete, however, many investors will not put another dime into Canada, at least not this decade.

albertacowpoke

at 08:15 on July 2nd, 2009

I can see that this issue is close to your heart. We do like to praise ourselves. I guess that is inevitable when you're a mouse and live next door to an elephant.

They should be going after Suncor and Synchrude in Alberta They could have reached a deal to use partially Royalty money and some of the excess profits made in the last couple of years to change the course, but even governments get greedy.

With this global recession and oil running below the break even point they won't touch them. The will hope that the major upgrader projects in the Edmonton area go ahead so they don.t get moved into the Houston area.

Paschen

at 08:23 on July 2nd, 2009

You are correct, the recession does not help here nor does the low oil price, then again, maybe it will in the long run, like a badly needed wake up call for all.

albertacowpoke

at 08:26 on July 2nd, 2009

Agreed

Amy Judd

at 08:51 on July 2nd, 2009

This is terrible. Canada has the chance to be a leader here and they don't even care.

Roy C

at 09:35 on July 2nd, 2009

Correction about George Bush.

George H.W. Bush actually signed the Kyoto Treaty, but the US Senate did not approve the treaty. Even California liberal senators Boxer and Feinstein voted against it.

Clinton could do nothing about that and George W Bush, the son, did nothing about it as well.

What I want to know is what about the oxygen production for countries with huge swaths of green, such as Canada, the US, Brazil or Russia?

How does that figure into the equation?

Paschen

at 18:15 on July 2nd, 2009

The Oxygen production on land by forest and so on is minimal, and decreasing with every year.

70% of all Oxygen is produced by the Oceans and this is under major threat due to pollution and PH changes as well as due to Over Fishing and temperature changes in the Oceans.

I wrote two post about it since we had a large international symposium here in Japan on this issue and the number are mind blowing. e may actually suffocate before we get killed by pollutants directly.

http://my.nowpublic.com/environment/eating-fish-kills-saving-our-oceans

http://my.nowpublic.com/environment/earth-oxygen-levels-are-dropping-plankton-save-humanity

albertacowpoke

at 09:57 on July 2nd, 2009

I was referring to GW Bush 43. I guess I was not even thinking as far back as Herbert Walker. It seems a lifetime away.

Reference your second point, I believe the WWF looks at emissions only and not the offsets. Have a look at the link I posted from the Gazette. It gives a more detailed explanation on the emissions and targets for 2020.

alia_d

at 09:49 on July 2nd, 2009

What a disappointment.

alia_d

at 09:49 on July 2nd, 2009

yet egypt (not verified)

at 10:38 on July 2nd, 2009

this sounds bad

tour egypt (not verified)

at 10:43 on July 2nd, 2009

This is terrible. Canada has the chance to be a leader here and they don't even care.

Iffy (not verified)

at 12:48 on July 2nd, 2009

No surprise: a life of endless driving to shopping malls and buying monster homes two months after arriving in Canada, is not very environmentally sustainable. Toronto is these days, a filthy city with a constant haze of yellow smog hanging over it. The lakes are dead from acid rain, few Canadians exercise anymore or do anything outdoorsy. The country is just getting fatter and more abusive to the environment, all the time yacking about how they are the kindest, and gentlest people on the plant: it doesn't wash.