The G8 leaders have endorsed a new world climate change plan with no hard targets. I am so utterly disillusioned with our “leaders” on this issue today that I can barely muster the energy write this post. Far from being a competent leader, this Merkel women has allowed the Bush/Harper snow job team to derail the Kyoto accord which represented real hard targets and true progress in combating climate change. It has been replaced with “joke policy” led to mislead and derail.
The G8 leaders should have stood their ground on Kyoto and forced Harper and Bush to comply. Leaders stand up for what they believe in and lead by example, not capitulation. Climate change represents the most dangerous threat to our existence, yet these leaders respond by announcing they will meet emissions targets 43 years from now.
Emissions need to be reduced through accountability measures set this year and the next and the next. Meeting climate change targets in 43 years is not called progress on climate change..it’s called a cop-out! We cannot stop climate change by reaching for the lowest common denominator.
CTV reports,
womanatmile0.wordpress.com 
Did you read the title to that CTV link:
“G8 leaders agree on plan to cut gas emissions”
No, no, no. What a misleading headline, there is no plan, that is whole point. They agreed that the problem exists, and we need to do something, but everything else is hypothetical. I can’t understand why someone would use such a factually incorrect lead in.
Well agreeing to something 43 years from now is so obviously not a plan. No one is going to fall for this. Merkel and the sensible logical EU leader countries that signed on to Kyoto..including Russia have made a mistake allowing Bush to get his way.
Your disillusioned because your not responsible for lives, jobs and economy’s around the world. The Clinton Administration would not sign or did not beleive Kyoto. The Bush Administration feels the same. The next US Democratic Administration will not sign or adhere either. What you want cannot be done. Kyoto is dead, and it should be. But..what its done is open people’s eyes to what we do to the environment. Its got governments focused on water and air pollution, fresh water management and energy conservation. And, whats going to bother most on the left isnt the fact that enough isnt being done, it will be that Mr Harper is starting to win the environment issue, which in itself is bizarre considering that in one year what Canada cuts in GHG’s China puts out in a week.
I guess to a Con it seems like winning. To me pitiful, irresponsible and shameful is the correct description of Harper’s performance. No one with any intelligence about the state of our environment is fooled by his pretending and games.
Well…anyone with any kind of intelligence would know that Canada represents 0.02% of the worlds GHG emmissions, and, that cutting .0025% of that 0.02% means nothing to the global warming problem. Anyone with any intelligence would also know that Canada does not, will not and never will have any control over global warming. Anyone with any intelligence would also know that banning light bulbs, paying some firm to plant a tree for you or turning your heat down 2 degrees are feel good measures that are an insult to anyone who is paying attention. So tell me…what would you have Mr Harper do, or better yet…should Mr Dion become our PM in the next few years, what does he do?
What frustrates me is how hard it is to get the vast number of people to read beyond the headlines or the sound-byte that is used to catch a listener’s attention in all-news radio. If that headline or sound-byte doesn’t capture the facts accurately (as is often the case because we’re talking about complex issues, a desire to “sell news,” and media that have their own agendas, political or otherwise), people quickly form misconceptions about issues, parties, and politicians. Then they tune out, become apathetic, and don’t bother to vote — or vote after spending less time researching politics than they do the purchase of an iPod.
I think Kyoto targets should be implemented and Canadian’s should do everything possible to meet those targets including implementing a carbon tax on industry like yesterday. In addition most of the cars being sold are still gas cars. Why is this? Our target should be that most of the cars and trucks sold today are electric/gas cars (highly efficient gas engines) and there should be huge tax rebates and low prices (even if govt has to subsidize) to encourage people to buy them.
You’re right Ann D but that really is the media’s fault isn’t it? We don’t want to read a manufactured story from the government about fake plans to take action on the environment….we need investigation and facts. Unfortunately this does not appear to be their strong point at times. Much easier to just recite lies told at a newsconference.
Ok, thats what you want, but it cant and wont be done. Alberta and Ontario would never go along with it, if it was attempted Mr Harper would be out of office, and, if the Liberals ran on implementing Kyoto they would never win the next election. I’m not saying your wrong, what I’m saying is that what you want done in regards to Kyoto wont be by either a Democratic President or a Liberal PM, so, I’ll ask again, if Harper’s performance was dismal, and I’m not saying it wasnt, what would you have Mr Dion do?
Exactly what I just said billg…a carbon tax …..you seem to be hard of hearing. Just because Harper’s a spineless oil industry bought and sold mouthpiece doesn’t mean Canada’s opposition leaders are.
Um..ok…I’m not sure what you missed, but, the day, minute and second Mr Dion proposes a carbon tax is the day, minute and second Mr Harper can count on his majority. And, thats why the Liberals will not propose it. I’ll disregard the comment about Harper being an oil industry spineless mouth piece because it really has nothing to do at all with the debate, but, it indicates to me that this debate has nothing to do with the environment at all, its about the Conservatives, which is fine and besides, its none of my business who you hate. So, basically what you’ve said is, Harper is an asshole who embarrased Canada at the G8 meetings, and, if Mr Dion was PM he would have insisted that all members would instill a carbon tax. And that in a nutshell is why the Liberals cannont win an election based on the environment platform, because, and I’m not sure why you dont get it…Canada cannot go around telling the worlds largest GHG polluters what to do, wanna know why?…cuz over the past 10 years our record is dismal…but hey…what do facts and reality have to do with this debate anyways. A Carbon Tax? I kinda wish Mr Dion was that dumb….but he’s not…which is kind of a good thing, because there people out there like you who would put jobs and lives at risk with a carbon tax…all for 0.0025% of 0.02% of the worlds GHG’s…..mind freaking boggling!
What should Canada’s opposition leaders be doing?
Standing outside with the anti-globalization protesters calling this summit a sham?
If you agree with this premise, then is this what Duceppe, Dion, and Layton should be doing? At least Alexa McDonough protested against the G8 when Canada was hosting it several years ago.
Maybe the problem is globalization and the capitalist economy. Many people on the left knows the G8 is a sham, so they either don’t pay this much attention to it or protest against this vehemently. It may now be time for the left to put up or shut up.
As we are all aware the suggested carbon tax would be given back to industry if they meet targets billg….nice try though. IT would actually assist industry in the long term by forcing them to become more efficient and would result in the development of greener technologies. Money has a way of making people see the light. I see it as a boon to industry. The glass is not always half empty…but isn’t that just like a Con…nothing but negative and anything but progressive.