BUT WE HAVE SHARPLY REDUCED OUR HOT AIR EMISSIONS

From: Emissions report card puts Canada last (Martin Mittelstaedt, Globe and Mail, February 8th, 2007)

Canada ranks dead last among members of the G8 industrialized countries when it comes to keeping a pledge made last year to fight climate change by reducing greenhouse-gas emissions, according to a report prepared by researchers at the University of Toronto.

Canada was the only Group of Eight country deemed to have posted a complete lack of compliance with the greenhouse-gas reduction goal set at last summer's G8 summit in St. Petersburg.

Canada has "no plan" to cut its emissions in the short or long term, and could have rising output of the gases blamed for global warming under the Conservatives' Clean Air Act because the legislation doesn't cap releases, the report said.

Ottawa has announced that Canada will reduce greenhouse emissions by 45 per cent -- to 65 per cent -- by 2050, but the report noted that as of Dec. 31, the date at which it conducted the country comparisons, "Canada had not taken significant steps to curb GHG emissions, nor did it have a plan in place to move forward on meeting its Kyoto-mandated targets nor the ambitious 2050 targets."[...]

Canada's record was particularly weak against countries, such as Germany and the U.K., that have exceeded their greenhouse-gas emission reduction targets, he said.

Russia and Italy also had weak records, although their performance exceeded Canada's.

Russia has met some of its obligations under Kyoto, but hasn't taken new steps to mitigate its emissions. Italy isn't close to meeting its Kyoto reduction target.

Although the United States has backed out of Kyoto, the report said it is working hard to reduce its emissions, including funding of $3.9-billion (U.S.) for technologies used to fight climate change.

This really is embarassing. For years we Canadians have been in the forefront of the battle to combat climate change by blaming everything on the U.S. and especially George W. Bush. We now obviously need a Plan B and we think we’ve found just the man to craft it for us. That’s it, you rapacious Yankee traders! You have boasted about that prosperity of yours one too many times. Until we have the average disposable income, per capita SUV rates and air travel figures you do, we’re declaring ourselves to be an “emerging economy” and we’re not doing a thing 'cause Al says we don't have to.

(BTW, giving Al the benefit of the doubt for at least average intelligence, does this not indicate either he is an instinctively self-blaming American or doesn’t for a moment believe the threat is nearly as serious or imminent as he claims?)