Video - Canadian High School Students Know more about Climate Change than Canada's Ruling Conservatives

Even high school students know that climate change has far reaching destructive impacts. In November 2012, less than a year before the historic floods in Alberta, a group of Grade 9 students addressed the issue of climate change and how it affects Canada and the world. Although the short video mentions natural cycles of global heating, it also makes the more accurate point that we are contributing to climate change and we all need to act. Canadian Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper, who hails from Alberta, can learn something from these students. Under Harper's leadership the federal government has withdrawn from the Kyoto protocol and enacted a number of policies that cut environmental funding and ultimately contribute to climate change. The Harper government has been a tireless advocate of Alberta's fossil fuel industry and the GHG intensive tarsands in particular. Many doubt the government will be able to meet its emissions targets due in large part to the expansion of dirty fossil fuels. The government of Canada is increasingly at odds with the rest of the world and Canadian public opinion on the issue of climate change.

Related Articles
Leading Canadian Economist to Tell Europeans about the Climate Impacts of the Tar Sands
Climate Scientists' Urge Canadian Minister to Back-off Expanded Fossil Fuel Production
Canada to Fight EU Proposal Labeling Tar Sands as Dirty
Canada's Ruling Conservatives Take Another Swipe at Environmental Protections
Canada is Banking on Carbon Capture to Offset Tar Sands
Enbridge withdraws from Canada's Carbon Capture Farce
Canada at Odds with US and China on Climate Change
Canada's Leader of the Official Opposition on the Keystone XL Pipeline
Canada's Hopes for an Environmentally Friendly Federal Leadership Now Rest with Justin Trudeau
Report Urges Canada's Federal Conservatives to Regulate Oil and Gas Sector to Meet GHG Targets
Canadian Conservative Minister Attacks Climate Scientist
Canada Withdraws from UN Efforts to Combat Desertification
Canada Pulls out of Kyoto
Canada is an Environmental Pariah at Rio+20
Canada has the Dirtiest Oil on Earth (Video)
Canada's Ruling Conservatives are Trying to Silence American Scientists
Canada's Ruling Conservatives Muzzle Scientists
Canadian Conservatives Silence Opposition to the Northern Gateway Oil Pipeline
Canadian Conservatives Admit to Killing Environmental Dissent
Conservative Budget Guts the Environment
Canadian Government Spending on Dirty Projects
Canada is a Dirty Energy Superpower
Report: Canadian Government is Not Helping Business Prepare for Climate Change
Canada's GHG Ranking

Read More»

Canadian Conservatives Disregard for Canada's Environment

As Canadians celebrate Canada Day their environment is under siege. Under the newly elected majority Conservative government, concern for the environment -- as a political issue -- is all but dead.

Under the Harper led Conservatives, Canada has officially withdrawn their support for the Kyoto Protocol. Like many nations who signed on, Canada, did little to nothing to actually curb their emission of greenhouse gases. Canada's greenhouse gas emissions actually increased 24% since signing the agreement in 1997.

When it comes to the environment, Canada has no leadership at the federal level. However, to Canada's great shame, the country is a leader in other ways. According to an analysis by Climate Action Network, Canada is among the world's leading sources of GHGs. Canada is a global leader in historical emissions, absolute emissions and per capita emissions.

Under Tory leadership, the state of Canada's environment is degrading every day. According to a WWF Canadian Living Planet Report, Canadians are some of the biggest consumers of resources in the world. Canada is also one of the world's biggest energy consumers, burning the equivalent of roughly 8,300 kilograms of oil equivalent per person per year.

The Conservative government is aggressively pushing the expansion of the tar sands. Extracting oil from tar sands pollute the environment, waste huge quantities of water and release much more greenhouse gas (GHG) then conventional oil. This has prompting the Canadian NGO Environmental Defense to call the Alberta tar sands, "the most destructive project on earth."

Sadly, those concerned about the environment have little to celebrate this Canada Day as the Conservatives can be expected to continue their wanton environmental destruction for at least another four years.

© 2011, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

Related Posts
Video: The Alberta Tar Sands Dirty Oil
Lack of Canadian Co-ordination in Efforts to Reduce GHGs
Canada Lags Behind in Protected Land
The State of Canada's Environment
Canadian Conservatives Dirty Priorities
Canadian Global Warming Denial from the Frontier Centre for Public Policy
Canadians Support Efforts to Combat Climate Change
Canadian Government at Odds with the Public on Climate Change
Conservatives Ignore Canadians While Jeopardizing the Environment and the Economy
Canadian Conservative Government Rejects Kyoto
Canada's Government Opposes Kyoto and Hampers Progress at COP16
World Urges Canada to Do More to Manage Climate Change
Canadian Conservatives Repudiation of the Environment in 2008
No Reprieve for the Environment as Slacktivists Hand Majority to Canadian Conservatives
Environmental Platforms of Canada's Federal Parties in 2008
Canadian Conservatives Repudiation of the Environment in 2008
Canada's Conservative Government Opposes Kyoto and Hampers Progress at COP16
World Urges Canada's Conservative Government to Do More to Manage Climate Change
Canada is a World Leader in GHG Emissions
WWF's Canadian Living Planet Report
Conservative Budget: No Green for Canada
Obama's Visit to Canada
Why Canadian Environment Minister Resigned
Green Policy Debated in Canadian Parliament
The Impact of a Climate Change Deal on Canada
Canada Votes: Environmental Politics
A Made in Canada Sustainable World Order

Read More»

Canada is a World Leader in GHG Emissions

Canada has the dubious distinction of being one the world's leading greenhouse gas (GHG) emitting nations.

Canada has a long history of leadership on critical environmental issues, but you would never know it if you were to take a look at the policies of the ruling Conservative party.

The Conservatives may not be leading the struggle to combat climate change but they should win an award for eschewing domestic and international opinion.

A recent analysis by Climate Action Network revealed that Canada is among the world's leading sources of GHGs. Canada is a global leader in historical emissions, absolute emissions and per capita emissions.

As the leader of the Conservatives, Harper appears oblivious to messages coming in from from all quarters. Harper has ignored messages to focus on a green economic recovery from international leaders in the UN, EU, as well as Nobel Peace Prize laureates and scientists. Most recently, as the host nation for the G20, Canada did not respond to member states repeated requests to discuss climate change.

Rather than showing the leadership required to make the necessary changes to lower GHGs, the ruling Conservatives have opted to ignore it and hope it wll go away. It won't.

Canada is a great nation, but Canada's greatness is undermined by a federal government that does not appear interested in the emerging green economy.
_____________________________

Related Posts
Canadians Disappointed with Conservative's Lack of leadership at the Toronto G20 Summit
Canada's Most Sustainable Businesses
Made in Canada: A Sustainable World Order
End Fossil Fuel Subsidies
The G20 and the Green Economy
UN Chief Asks G20 to Focus on a Sustainable Recovery
Canadian Conservatives Dirty Priorities
World Urges Canada to Do More on Climate Change
Copenhagen Accord: Canada to Reduce its GHG Emissions by 17%
The Impact of a Climate Change Deal on Canada
Why Canada Made Concessions on Climate Change Policy
Canada Makes Dramatic Shift on Climate Change Policy
Why Canadian Conservatives Must Make Concessions on Climate Change Policy
Obama's Visit to Canada

Read More»

Canadians Disappointed with Conservative's Lack of leadership at the Toronto G20 Summit

According to recent poll results, 78 percent of Canadians wanted Prime Minister Stephen Harper's government to use the G8 and G20 summits ''to signal that Canada wants to be a leader in the global fight against climate change.''

Two thirds of Canadians wanted the Harper government to show leadership at the G8 and G20 summits. The same number wanted to see the Conservative government announce plans to eliminate subsidies for the fossil fuel industry.

The poll also indicated that 70 percent of respondents said they would somewhat support or strongly support government action to reduce those subsidies in Canada, estimated to cost taxpayers about $2 billion per year.

The survey, was commissioned for Climate Action Network. The poll was conducted by the Gandalf Group between June 17-22. The poll surveyed 1,158 Canadians and is considered accurate within 2.88 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

In a separate question, 65 per cent of respondents said they opposed the Harper government's strategy of waiting for the U.S. and other nations ''to develop their plans for climate change before it implements further measures to address climate change.''
______________________________________

Related Posts
UN Climate Change Initiatives Post Toronto
G20 Summit in Toronto Ends with Little Action on Climate Change
G20 Must Cooperate for a Sustainable Recovery
G20 and Central Bank Governors Joint Communique
G20 Disagreements and Global Economic Reforms
Competing National Priorities
Program and Plans for G8 and G20 Summits in Canada
End Fossil Fuel Subsidies
The G20 and the Green Economy
UN Chief Asks G20 to Focus on a Sustainable Recovery
G20 Security Concerns Force Cancellation of Sustainable Supply Chain Event
G20 Protestors Dilute Green Message
The Tyranny of Protest and Climate Change Pragmatism
Local Business Promotes Green Agenda for G20 in Pittsburgh
G20 and Developing World Disagree on Climate Change
G20 Lays the Foundation for a Better World
Global Warming Exposes Resources but Arctic Meeting Leaves Some Out in the Cold
G8's More Aggressive GHG Targets
IMF Reforms
Canadian Conservatives Dirty Priorities
World Urges Canada to Do More on Climate Change
Copenhagen Accord: Canada to Reduce its GHG Emissions by 17%
The Impact of a Climate Change Deal on Canada
Why Canada Made Concessions on Climate Change Policy
Canada Makes Dramatic Shift on Climate Change Policy
Why Canadian Conservatives Must Make Concessions on Climate Change Policy
Obama's Visit to Canada
Canada's Most Sustainable Businesses
Made in Canada: A Sustainable World Order

Read More»