Sunday, December 15, 2019
We Say All the Right Things But We're Not Fooling Anyone. Canada at COP25
Canada was showered with kudos at the Madrid climate summit for pledging to become carbon neutral by 2050. We said what the delegates wanted to hear which was a damn sight better than what they got from the United States or China.
But, move beyond the Ottawa greenwash, and Canada is seen for what we are - today and what we will be tomorrow - a climate pariah, a menace to the future of humanity. Out of the 61 'biggest' countries in the world, Canada ranks 55th on a scale that ranks greenhouse gas emissions, renewable energy, energy use and climate policy. We're better than the US, China, Taiwan, Korea and Australia, but not by much. It appears they're not impressed by Jason Kenney's/Teck Resources proposed mega-mine in the Tar Pits or Justin Trudeau's new expanded bitumen pipeline either. If you want the interactive map, click on the link above.
The elephant in the room is the USA , the largest market in the world.
ReplyDeleteLiving next to the USA imposes severe restrictions upon Canada's response to AGW.
It also gives Canada the excuse not to even try and meet its obligations.
Let's face it, the USA is holding the world hostage to reducing carbon emissions.
TB
ReplyDeleteI had hoped that North America might finally be reduced to an outlier, a pariah, while the rest of the world headed in the opposite direction eventually dragging us along. After COP25 I'm left with the nagging fear that the international consensus is flagging which, unless it can be reversed, may lead us into a 'haves and have nots' division of nations.
The energy and inertia of 2015 seems to be waning.