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KAIROS Statement on the Canadian government’s Clean Air
Act
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For years, the Canadian churches have made care for the earth an integral aspect of their justice work. There is no greater threat to our collective future than the destruction of the ecosystems upon which all life is dependent. Caring for Creation is a spiritual commitment to God that is not optional in our faith.
The Canadian government’s Clean Air Act announced on October 19 as the centerpiece of its so-called “Made in Canada” Green Plan for Canada lacks the vision and courage to seriously tackle climate change.
Reduction in harmful air pollutants is welcome, but diverts attention from the far greater threat to Canadians’ long-term health posed by the dramatic climate changes resulting from dangerous levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. The fact that the Kyoto Accord is not even mentioned in the government’s Clean Air Act is further evidence of our government’s intention to abandon Canada’s targets in this critical international agreement.
The Canadian churches were actively involved in campaigning for Canada’s participation in the Kyoto Accord. KAIROS believes that Kyoto is the minimum commitment Canada should contribute to the global effort to avert catastrophic climate change. Kyoto requires Canada to make a 6% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2012 from 1990 levels. The overall global reduction target of Kyoto within the same time period is 5%. Scientists state that to avoid an overall global warming increase of 2 degrees Celsius—considered the threshold for dramatic climate change—greenhouses gases must be reduced by 70% from 1990 levels by 2050. Seen in that light, Kyoto is a small but significant step in addressing climate change.
The Canadian government announcement commits to reducing greenhouse gases by 45 – 65% by 2050. Meant to appear as at least a half measure towards the overall global goal, the promise fails to be substantiated at the level of the details.
- No plan to achieve the target
There are no interim targets and there is no plan with specific steps to actually reach the proposed reduction. The Clean Air Act proposes shorter-term “intensity based” targets after further consultation with Canadian industry. Intensity targets refer to reductions in the amount of energy used per unit of production, rather than an absolute reduction in overall greenhouse gases. This approach allows for emissions to be tied to economic growth rather than an absolute ceiling.
“Intensity targets” emulates the approach of the Bush Administration in the US. They allow for the “business as usual” approach to tar sands development in Alberta, the biggest single threat to Canada’s Kyoto targets.
- Moving the goalposts
The Clean Air Act baseline for reductions is 2003 rather than 1990 as per the Kyoto Accord. By 2003, Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions had already risen by 24% above 1990 levels and were 32% above the Kyoto targets. Shifting the baseline forward results in a significant weakening of the overall commitments.
- No accountability, no penalties for
non-compliance
Under the Clean Air Act, there is no accountability to the global community as there is in Kyoto, nor penalties if Canada does not meet its own self-defined targets. Accordingly, it seems all too likely that economic growth targets will continue to trump the need for emissions reductions.
- Government claims there is no need to
act now
Climate change is an international crisis that demands immediate concerted global action now. The Kyoto Accord recognized that fact by forcing countries to take appropriate action immediately to meet 2012 targets. The plan introduced by Minister Ambrose is an abrogation of Canada’s commitment to the world and its own citizens. The only target is 44 years into the future, when the current government will not be around to be held to account.
On September 19, 2006, in anticipation of this announcement, KAIROS wrote a letter to Prime Minister Harper urging immediate action towards meeting Canada’s Kyoto commitments. The letter called for “bold action to reduce drastically our country’s release of greenhouse gas emissions.” The Clean Air Act represents a failure to tackle our ecological crisis and a giant step backward from Canada’s commitments as a signatory to the Kyoto Accord. Future generations of Canadians will find it much more difficult, if not impossible, to reverse climate change.
KAIROS believes that through concerted action by Canadians, climate change can be effectively addressed. A new four-year KAIROS program intends to engage our constituents in making a transformation away from fossil fuels towards a sustainable and just energy economy.
(See also KAIROS’ climate change page and a call from Canadian humanitarian groups for urgent action on global warming, 2 October 2006)
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