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Monday, May 29, 2006
Kyoto: More toque over the eyes
What Canadian really does know all the in’s and out’s of Kyoto? According to a new poll, not many:
It may be one of the most politically charged topics of today, but more
than two-thirds of Canadians say they know nothing about the
international Kyoto agreement on climate change, a new opinion survey
has revealed.
Nearly 89 per cent of Canadians have heard about the Kyoto accord,
but 68 per cent say they don’t know any of the details, according to an
Ipsos Reid poll of 1,621 Canadians completed this spring. (h/t PTBC)
It is pretty believable as there was a conference in my little town last year
where some Liberal Kyoto reps came to explain it to farmers and
the subsequent writeups in the local paper left you wondering “what?”.
I realize people will say they are just farmers but they are smarter
than most people would care to think.
If the poll is truly reflective why does it seem that so many
Canadians support it? Why support something you don’t understand? Does
it just come down to symbolism and Rick Mercer cheering on the now
defunct One Tonne Challenge? Maybe it is time for Canadians to start questioning it further:
The Liberals’ $12-billion plan to implement the Kyoto
Protocol over seven years would have been largely ineffective, says an
as-yet unpublished report by the C.D. Howe Institute.
The report, marked “do not cite or circulate,” was written before the current government axed Project Green, as the plan was dubbed, and may have been a factor in the Conservatives’ decision to scrap it.
Project Green largely relied on voluntary measures and incentives
which have been shown not to work, says the study, which sarcastically
calls the package “Project Dream.”
“This policy approach will fail dramatically to meet national
objectives and yet will entail a substantial cost,” says the report,
whose lead author is Mark Jaccard of Simon Fraser University.
The study was written in April and obtained by The Canadian Press on
the weekend. It is finally expected to be made public this week.
The report says Project Green would have cost $12 billion by 2012, with much of that money being spent outside Canada.
It would have reduced emissions by 175 megatonnes compared with a
business-as-usual scenario, far short of the 230 to 300 Mt. reduction
required to meet Canada’s Kyoto target.
Efforts like the One Tonne Challenge advertising campaign, which
urged individuals to reduce their own greenhouse emissions through
lifestyle changes, have “negligible effect,” says the study.
“The policy approach of Canada since 1990 and continued with Project
Green is clearly ineffective in causing the disconnection of GHG
(greenhouse gas) emissions from the economic output that must take
place if these emissions are to be reduced and their atmospheric
concentrations stabilized at low risk levels.”
Canada’s domestic emissions remain on a path that would miss its
Kyoto target by at least 270 Mt. in 2010, equivalent to almost a 30 per
cent emissions gap, the study says.
“Indeed, the policy approach epitomized by Project Green allows
emissions to continue to grow at close to their BAU (business-as-usual)
rate.”
The original Project Green plan
touted a cost of $10 billion and a reduction of 270 megatonnes by 2012.
It will be interesting to read the C.D. Howe. report this week as it
raises suspicions that Canadians were about to get screwed over by the
Liberals once again. c/p
Posted by Darcey on May 29, 2006 in Current Affairs | Permalink
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Comments
Meant to post this tidbit here.
- Carbon dioxide considered a toxic gas
- Second hand smoke considered a toxic gas
- People exhale carbon dioxide
- People exhale second hand smoke
- People die from breathing other peoples toxic exhales according to health professionals
- Does this mean I can sue anyone for poisoning me with their Carbon Dioxide exhales.
- If so, can I expect to get more money from a mouth-breather?
If so, NDPrs beware.
Posted by: John | 2006-05-29 10:05:08 AM
This is for those who still don't understand Kyoto.Imagine you have a messy backyard because you work long hours.Your neighbour,Mr.Kyoto, who barely works at all has a tidy yard.Once as year,you give your neighbour a big chunk of your savings.Your yard is still a mess,but your bank account is lighter. Your neighbour loves this deal and will slander you if you question it.It would make more sense to invest your money in tidying up your own yard,but Mr.Kyoto would rather you gave it to him.
Posted by: wallyj | 2006-05-29 12:14:58 PM
Kyoto is a massive fraud. Even if you belive the "junk science" which is the basis of Kyoto , implementing it will have essentially no affect on global temperatures.
Kyoto is a carbon tax written essentially by the likes of Paul Martin's mentor Maurice Strong ( UN special envoy to Korea who has apparently been laying low in China once his pal , Korean businessman was arrested in the US as part of the Oil-for-Food UN scandal) and the Europeans to deliberately hurt the US.
Canada and the US would have ended up paying "carbon tax" dollars to India and China who were free to pollute under Kyoto, if we didn't meet our Kyoto comittments.
Canadians can thank Chretien who obviously had no clue what Kyoto meant ... or didn't cared. All he cared about was making himself look like an environmental hero , while at the same time depcting Bush & the US as the evil environment destroyers.
Posted by: joe | 2006-05-29 1:57:02 PM
It's even worse than that. After a few years, Mr. Kyoto will have spent his wealth redistribution cheques on junk for his yard. In the end, the money will stop flowing, both yards will be messy, Mr. Kyoto still won't be working because he hasn't been encouraged to, and your bank account will be empty.
Posted by: db | 2006-05-29 1:57:45 PM
I'm in the US right now, and I heard a radio show that discussed more serious threats to Americans than global warming.
Top of the list: Alien Invasion.
Also: terrorism, second-hand smoke, cholesterol, and pretty much any other thing.
If global warming is a threat, then it must be countered by human actions such as buying more fuel efficient cars, improving energy efficiency in homes, etc. Kyoto does none of these things by punishing nations in an arbitrary, unenforceable and extremely costly program of "carbon credits." Kyoto all but creates reasons for resistance. Harper and Ambrose knew this and are cancelling this scam. God Bless Them for their foresight and common sense.
Posted by: Scott | 2006-05-29 3:16:14 PM
A total mess.
I say throw Maurice Strong out with the rest of the garbage.
Posted by: Set you free | 2006-05-29 3:47:56 PM
SEt You Free
We agree on the strong smell of Marice.
Posted by: John | 2006-05-29 4:18:26 PM
heh heh - John I enjoyed the smoking comment..
Posted by: Darcey | 2006-05-29 7:36:14 PM
The Liberals had their sticky fingers all over the Kyoto pie - a hot air trading scheme. If that doesn't signal a fraud, theft, corruption scam to regular people than what do the Liberals have to do? Go around stealing their pension funds?(well, take more money from people's pension funds then they already have, like all the funds)
Posted by: infidel | 2006-05-29 7:56:17 PM
Anyone who has ever seen these evangelists on TV who promise salvation in return for a donation should be able to see the similarities in Kyoto.
Posted by: Scott | 2006-05-30 10:03:58 AM
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