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Mar.6,2005 -Mar.13,2005 |
Climate change summit set for Montreal
Thousands of delegates from around the world to arrive next December
By Francesco Veronesi
Originally Published: 2005-02-27
In December, Canada will play host to a world summit on climate change. The announcement came last week from Prime Minister Paul Martin in Montreal, the city designated as the seat of the event that will bring together over 6,000 delegates representing 160 countries. "Here in Montreal," said Martin, "the nations of the world will work together to tackle the problems of climate change. I'm convinced that this initiative will lead to very important results." Besides assessing the first 10 months of application of the Kyoto Protocol, the conference will address issues linked to sudden climate change over the last few decades: the rising average global temperature, the melting of the polar caps, and the raising of sea levels.
Martin, accused of doing too little to bring Canada in compliance with the goals of the agreement signed in Japan in 1997, underscored the fact that "it is in our country's best interest that our air and water are clean."
The allegations of government inactivity were dismissed by Stephane Dion, federal Minister of the Environment, who remarked:
"The coming budget will include a 'robust' plan to enable Canada to meet the targets of the Protocol. This will be a comprehensive strategy for all our future environmental policies."
The minister emphasized that the government plan will be the result of a mediation between the positions of the science community, environmental groups, individual citizens and industries.
Inside Canada, two fronts are coalescing around this issue: environmentalists, critical of the government for the measures adopted, which they deem insufficient; and the "Kyoto-sceptics," who fear that the agreement will deal a severe blow to the economy of Canada and believe that the cost of complying with the Protocol would be borne by Canadian taxpayers (some claim by as much as $2,700 a year per household).
Meanwhile, Polar bears roaming Parliament Hill formed the strange protest organized by some Greenpeace activists, who rallied in front of Parliament wearing fur costumes to demand more incisive action following the entry in force of the Kyoto Protocol. The activists accuse the Liberal government of abandoning the goals set by the treaty. "Hosting a world conference on climate change," declared Greenpeace spokesperson Andrew Male, "does not count for much if our politicians do nothing for the environment. If we look at other countries' environmental policies, Canada lags far behind, there's no denying it."
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