Joining Asia-Pacific pact a dangerous step backwards for Canada

April 26, 2006 -

OTTAWA – Joining the Asia-Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate will commit Canada to a future of rising greenhouse gas emissions and worsening climate change, says the David Suzuki Foundation.

“The Asia-Pacific Partnership is little more than smoke and mirrors,” said Dale Marshall, the Foundation’s Ottawa-based climate change policy analyst. “The pact contains no targets, no timelines, no penalties and favours a voluntary approach to addressing greenhouse gas emissions.”

On Tuesday, federal Environment Minister Rona Ambrose said Canada is considering joining the breakaway group of six countries – the United States, India, China, Australia, South Korea and Japan – which joined forces last July. Researchers for the Australian government have concluded that full implementation of the Asia-Pacific Partnership alone would still result in a doubling of global emissions by 2050.

The federal government has said it will stay in the Kyoto Protocol but will not live up to its targets, preferring instead to create a so-called made-in-Canada plan to tackle climate change.

Under Kyoto, Canada is committed to cutting its emissions by six per cent by 2012. Canada’s emissions are now more than 24 per cent above 1990 levels. Unlike the Asia-Pacific pact, Kyoto contains targets, timelines and requires mandatory emission reductions with penalties for non-compliance.

“Under the Asia-Pacific pact, global emissions will continue to rise,” said Mr. Marshall. “Rather than joining this useless public relations exercise, Canada should move quickly to start taking real action to reduce its emissions under the Kyoto Protocol.”

For more information or to arrange interviews, contact:

Sarah Marchildon
Communications specialist
David Suzuki Foundation
604-732-4228, ext. 237