Harper gov't blocks binding commitment on climate

Thought you might be interested in this latest image or our country projected by Mr. Harper.

Harper gov't blocks binding commitment on climate
Mike Blanchfield, CanWest News Service
Published: Saturday, November 24, 2007
KAMPALA, Uganda - Prime Minister Stephen Harper has "embarrassed Canada on the world stage" by blocking a consensus among more than 50 Commonwealth countries to endorse binding commitments on industrialized countries to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, Liberal Leader Stephane Dion charged Saturday. ...

... But Harper successfully pressed for the deletion of key wording in a climate change statement that would have called for a "binding commitment" on developed countries to reduce emissions by specific targets. ...

... But Dion, a former environment minister, said it is precisely because of Canada's economic strength as a major industrialized power that it must take the lead in cutting greenhouse emissions, rather than waiting for other nations to address the "worst ecological threat of the century."

Australia was the only other country to share Canada's position. But, with the defeat of John Howard's government Saturday, the new Labour government was poised to ratify the Kyoto climate change accord, leaving Canada as the only Commonwealth country to oppose binding targets on developed countries. ...

... Canada's Commonwealth partners, especially Britain and Malta, were also unhappy with the Harper government's hard line. But the "consensus" they eventually found amounted to a watering down of their call for binding targets and timetables, and represented a major setback for the rest of the Commonwealth's 52 countries, all of which opposed Canada's position.

The full details may be read in the Ottawa Citizen. Check in on -
http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/story.html?id=80e98153-a2ed-4e33-a62d-295ea002607a&k=4574

Michael