Canada is full of hot air at Paris Climate Summit
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- Published on Friday, 01 April 2016 16:30
- Written by editor
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An update on Canada's presence at COP21
Hi PAOV,
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau brought a new message but unfortunately the same old empty promises to the climate summit (COP21) in Paris this week.
We had high hopes for Canada at COP21, but so far the reality has been disappointing.
“We have work to do at home, which we’re certainly going to get to” is not a climate plan. To effectively tackle climate change we need enforceable laws, not vague assurances. And bringing the previous government’s weak emissions targets to the conference is not the progressive change Canadians were promised.
Our campaigner Torrance Coste is on the ground at COP21, but he and his fellow youth delegates never got a chance to meet with Prime Minister Trudeau before he left Paris. For the self-appointed minister of youth, his decision to ignore the Canadian Youth Delegation’s request to meet was hypocrisy.
But if they were not heard, they were seen. These young climate champions were front and centre at Canada’s press conference wearing their “Justice and Clean Energy Now” stickers. They also took every opportunity they could to speak to other Canadian decision-makers – including the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, provincial premiers and federal party leaders.
British Columbia’s Premier was also at COP21, talking a big game about fighting climate change while growing the economy. But everyone knew the BC government just announced it would miss its 2020 climate targets and shelter the LNG industry from any carbon tax increases. Hardly an example of a climate leader.
Read more about what Torrance had to say about BC’s claims at COP21 in this article from Desmog Canada.
Canada is talking the talk but not walking the walk on meaningful action to tackle climate change. When pressed for specifics, the Prime Minister performed verbal acrobatics. And when asked if the country will decarbonize by 2050, federal Environment Minister Catherine McKenna dodged the question.
Meanwhile, 43 of the world’s most vulnerable countries – including the Philippines and Kiribati – made that bold commitment despite their lack of resources. Canada must follow their lead. We live in a time where our action or inaction will decide whether or not our children and grandchildren inhabit a liveable planet. Let’s make sure Canada’s federal government leads by example.
For the climate,
Peter McCartney | Climate Campaigner
Wilderness Committee
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