Tag: kyoto protocol

Canadians Prepare for Kyoto Protocol

Canadians are being asked to take public transportation and turn down the heat as Canada prepares to ratify the Kyoto Protocol on climate change. From Ottawa, the Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Karen Kelly has more:

Transcript

Canadians are being asked to take public transportation and turn down the heat as Canada
prepares to ratify the Kyoto Protocol on climate change. From Ottawa, Karen Kelly has
more:


Each Canadian is being asked to reduce personal greenhouse gas emissions by 20-percent
over the next decade to help Canada meet its Kyoto target.


It will require Canada as a whole to reduce its emissions by about a third.


To help meet that goal, the government will provide incentives for Canadians to buy
more fuel-efficient cars and to better insulate their homes.


Natural Resources Minister Herb Dhaliwal says Canada needs everyone’s participation.


“This is a very small step to a very long journey and we have to make sure we get
everybody engaged at all levels – consumers, government, industry.”


The federal government plans to ratify the accord by the end of year.


But it faces tough opposition from industry and the provinces.


For the Great Lakes Radio Consortium, I’m Karen Kelly.

Canada Losing Its Green Edge?

As leaders prepare for the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, Canadian environmentalists say their country is no longer considered an important player on the world stage. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Karen Kelly reports:

Transcript

As leaders prepare for the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, Canadian environmentalists say their country is no longer considered
an important player on the world stage. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s
Karen Kelly reports:


John Bennett remembers when Canada was one of the so-called “good guys.” He’s the director for climate change and energy with the Sierra Club of Canada.
And he says 14 years ago, Canadian leaders were among the first to call for action on global warming. Now, the Canadian government is seeking exemptions
from the Kyoto climate change agreement.


“The leadership it’s showing is how do you wheedle out of an important environmental agreement? How do you weaken the agreement to the point that it’s
meaningless in order to make it cheaper and easier for Canada to achieve the targets.”


Environmentalists at home and abroad say Canada has been slow to take serious action.
Canadian leaders have delayed signing the Kyoto Protocol. They argue that Canada should be able to make fewer reductions in pollution because it exports so-called
clean energy – like hydroelectric power – to the United States.


For the Great Lakes Radio Consortium, I’m Karen Kelly.

Canadians Urge Kyoto Signing

A new poll finds most Canadians surveyed believe Canada should ratify the Kyoto agreement in order to slow the effects of global warming. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Karen Kelly reports:

Transcript

A new poll finds most Canadians surveyed believe Canada should ratify the Kyoto agreement in order to slow the effects of global warming. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Karen Kelly reports:

While the Bush administration has rejected the Kyoto Accord, Canadian leaders are still deciding whether to ratify it. The survey of 2,000 people, conducted by a research firm on behalf of Greenpeace Canada, suggests 78 percent of Canadians would support ratification. The findings come after an intense lobbying campaign against ratification by high oil producing and energy consuming provinces. They argue the accord will devastate Canada’s economy as it competes with countries that aren’t part of the agreement. The plan calls for nations to reduce their output of greenhouse gases to three and a half percent below 1990 levels. The 15 members of the European Union have announced they will ratify the agreement this year.

For the Great Lakes Radio Consortium, I’m Karen Kelly.

Doctors Urge Kyoto Sign-On

Some physicians are concerned about the United States not attending the final talks on the Kyoto Protocol on global warming held in early November. The physicians say global warming is already a problem and is adding to a number of public health threats. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Lester Graham reports:

Transcript

Some physicians are concerned about the United States not attending the final talks on the Kyoto Protocol on global warming held in early November. The physicians say global warming is already a problem and is adding to a number of public health threats. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Lester Graham reports.


Some physicians believe the increase in infectious disease outbreaks such as West Nile virus, Lyme disease, and Hantavirus are connected to global warming. They say the warming already seen contributes to the spread of the viruses. The warming also could be causing more volatile weather –such as sudden storms in some parts of the Great Lakes region. That can cause flooding of sewer systems that lead to illnesses. Bob Musil is the Executive Director of Physicians for Social Responsibility. He says the group is encouraging politicians to upgrade sewer systems to cope with the changes.


“There are sudden storm surges, sudden precipitation leads to flooding in combined sewage and storm drains. In the state of Michigan in our report we discussed this problem. And we actually, as physicians, go and talk to the responsible officials.”


But the physician’s group says adapting to the changes only treats the symptoms. Musil says the long-term problem can only be dealt with by reducing air pollutants that cause global warming, something the group says the U-S is refusing to do right now. For the Great Lakes Radio Consortium, I’m Lester Graham.