Canada both contributes to climate change and refuses to offer wildlife protections. Under Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Canada is the worst country in the world in terms of wildlife protections. Their failure to sign on to international treaties, enact protective legislation and deal with the broader issue of climate change poses a direct threat to wildlife. Canada is a climate Luddite that has backed out of its Kyoto commitments and failed to meet its GHG reduction targets. The nation is also a strong supporter of the fossil fuel industry and the tar sands in particular.
In March 2013, Canada took the unprecedented step to become the first country ever to opt out of all resolutions to protect endangered species. Canada made its position known at the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).
This position puts Canada at odds with the delegates from 180 countries who voted to extend protections to 76 plant and animal species. Canada has even been fighting efforts to curb the trade in its own iconic polar bears.
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