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WHAT IS KYOTO PROTOCOL? The Kyoto Protocol, which the Canadian Parliament ratified in December, 2002, is an international agreement that asks participating countries to significantly reduce their greenhouse gas emissions over the next decade. These reductions can happen in any number of ways. Each country must determine which methods make the most sense for their own circumstances. Some provinces and industry lobby groups fought to have Canada water down our commitment to the agreement, or even reject it outright. They argued that instead of Kyoto, we need a “made-in-Canada” plan for greenhouse gas reductions. This is a misleading argument. The Kyoto Protocol, which only sets the framework for establishing reduction targets, actually asks each country to create its own national plan for meeting targets. The federal government has already been working on this plan for several years, consulting with provinces, industry, scientists and individuals to find the best solution for Canada. So when opponents say we need a “made-in-Canada” plan, we agree—and so does the Kyoto Protocol. Canada can be a
world leader in reducing the threat of climate change. The Canadian Nature
Federation urges all Canadians to ask their Members of Parliament to support the
spirit of Kyoto, signaling to the world that Canada is committed to making
meaningful cuts in our greenhouse gas emissions. Industries can reduce their emissions by becoming more energy efficient or using cleaner fuel. Many companies, including some in the industries that have most vocally opposed Kyoto, have already begun this process. Some have already reduced their emissions to levels well below 1990. British Petroleum’s CEO John Browne recently described how his company met its global reduction target seven years ahead of schedule and at “no net economic cost.” Alberta-based Suncor is prepared to do it too. It said it will reduce net corporate emissions by 6 per cent below the 1990 level if Canada ratifies Kyoto. Suncor is also investing in renewable energy generation including wind power. Another Alberta company, TransAlta Utilities, has just acquired Vision Quest, a Canadian wind turbine manufacturing company. Kyoto is not the solution to climate change. It will not reverse the damage already inflicted. But it will help keep the problem from getting worse. It is the only plan that makes sense for Canada, the world, and our precious natural environment.
WHAT IS CLIMATE CHANGE? Climate change is a natural process that has always happened over geological time. But sadly, human activity—especially over the last few decades—is thought to be contributing to and even accelerating the rate at which it occurs. Our dependence on fossil fuels, as well as deforestation, is dramatically increasing the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. The earth’s atmosphere works as a two-way filter, protecting the planet from harmful radiation while preventing oxygen, heat and moisture from escaping into space. Greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide are important components of the atmosphere. We need these gases to keep the planet warm and livable—they act as a blanket, reflecting heat back down to the surface. But over the last few decades, that blanket has become too thick. As our level of industrial activity has increased, we have dramatically altered the makeup of the atmosphere. The main reason is this: when we burn oil and other fossil fuels, we create greenhouse gases. Carbon dioxide is a by product of combustion; all our factories, electricity generating plants, and even cars, essentially, are releasing excess carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. After enough time and enough activity, we’ve managed to increase the amount of atmospheric greenhouse gases to a dangerous level. With this increase, too much heat is being trapped near the surface of the earth, which is slowly increasing the world’s average temperature—a phenomenon known as global warming. But a higher temperature doesn’t mean balmier summers. It means a dramatic change in weather patterns around the globe. As temperatures rise, parts of the world will experience more severe droughts and heat waves, melting polar ice caps, rising sea levels, dramatic increases in flooding, and extreme storms. Some regions will even experience colder weather, as ocean currents and air masses start to change and distribute hot and cold air more erratically. As weather shifts, so too do local and regional climates—climate change. Clearly, the environment will also have to change to adapt.
HOW IS NATURE THREATENED: Unfortunately, a rise in the average global temperature doesn’t simply mean warmer summers and balmier winters for Canadians. It dramatically alters weather patterns around the world, putting fragile natural environments at risk. Imagine the repercussions in Canada alone: More severe weather. Storms, floods, hurricanes and forest fires all increase in intensity and occurrence. Summer heat waves and droughts are longer and more severe. Winter precipitation rises enormously in some parts of the country, but virtually disappears elsewhere. Parks and natural environments besieged. Lakes and rivers dry up as droughts take their toll. Higher sea levels flood or erode sensitive coastal environments. Forests—already under the threat of more frequent forest fires—die, wither from drought, or are even replaced by invasive grasslands from the south. Habitats shrink or shift. Water temperature rises in lakes and rivers, encouraging the overgrowth of algae and aquatic plants and choking out all other marine life. More insect pests endanger frail northern vegetation. Tidal flats—traditional nesting sites for migratory birds—are flooded by rising seas. Wildlife is threatened. Northern boreal forests disappear, leaving forest animals without their natural shelter and food sources. Longer ice-free periods in the Arctic maroon polar bears and migrating caribou herds. Waterfowl are crowded into fewer wetlands, leading to an increase in avian disease. Unless climate change can be stopped, it spells disaster for the environment. Canadians who love nature—those of us who appreciate its diversity and its resilience—will be forced to watch it wither, shrink and be conquered.
HOW CAN I HELP? There are several ways you can help. Please contact your Member of Parliament and insist you want to preserve nature for the future. Urge politicians and industry to take action now. Canada should stand behind the targets in the Kyoto Protocol, committing to meaningful, undiluted reductions in national greenhouse gas emissions. Send a letter that confirms your support (see a sample letter below). You can also personally contribute to emissions reductions by lowering your own dependency on fossil fuels. Walk to work or ride the bus instead of driving your car. Lower your household energy consumption by turning down the temperature. Above all, try to get outside. As long as you’re walking, hiking, or cross-country skiing, not only are you not consuming any fossil fuels, you’re enjoying our country’s greatest resource—nature itself. For more tips on reducing emissions, visit the Government of Canada’s Climate Change web site.
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