Posted on 12/13/2011 7:00:29 AM PST by lbryce
Canada on Monday became the first country to announce it would withdraw from the Kyoto protocol on climate change, dealing a symbolic blow to the already troubled global treaty.
Environment Minister Peter Kent broke the news on his return from talks in Durban, where countries agreed to extend Kyoto for five years and hammer out a new deal forcing all big polluters for the first time to limit greenhouse gas emissions.
Canada, a major energy producer which critics complain is becoming a climate renegade, has long complained Kyoto is unworkable precisely because it excludes so many significant emitters.
"As we've said, Kyoto for Canada is in the past ... We are invoking our legal right to formally withdraw from Kyoto," Kent told reporters.
The right-of-center Conservative government of Prime Minister Stephen Harper, which has close ties to the energy sector, says Canada would be subject to penalties equivalent to C$14 billion ($13.6 billion) under the terms of the treaty for not cutting emissions by the required amount by 2012.
"To meet the targets under Kyoto for 2012 would be the equivalent of either removing every car truck, all-terrain vehicle, tractor, ambulance, police car and vehicle off every kind of Canadian road," said Kent.
Environmentalists quickly blasted Kent for his comments.
"It's a national disgrace. Prime Minister Harper just spat in the faces of people around the world for whom climate change is increasingly a life and death issue," said Graham Saul of Climate Action Network Canada.
Kent did not give details on when Ottawa would pull out of a treaty he said could not work. Canada kept quiet during the Durban talks so as not to be a distraction, he added.
(Excerpt) Read more at reuters.com ...
GW Bush refused to sign the Kyoto Treaty and he was smart to do so. Canada is also smart. Without China and India on board whats the point?
And also there’s that whole thing about Anthropogenic Global Warming being fake Lysenko science designed to bring about socialist capture of the means of production.
So kudos to Canada.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper for President (I am somewhat serious).
Congratulations CANADA! You are A Climate Renegate. That's high praise when it comes from the Kyoto Kooks.
Good for them. At least we we know that our neighors in the great white north have their heads screwed on straight.
IT does MATTER! Even if the population is small, the industry is small...they are a LARGE country, and from the AGW idiots side that means something. The environmentalists have to be freaking out.
EDITORIAL: Climate talks, then climate tax
Climate change socialism weathers storm in Durban
Global Warming on Free Republic
Nahhh; they may FEEL like they died and went to Hell; but, having to get an honest job for the first time in their lives won't actually kill any AGW shill.
Canada leads again... I’m starting to see a pattern here.
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