Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Canada takes 11 Fossil of Day awards at climate talks


Canada did spectacularly well this year in the "Fossil of the Day" awards during the Climate Change talks in Poznań, Poland which just concluded. The Harper crew picked up another 11 awards bringing Canada's overall total to 65 and making Canada this year's "Colossal Fossil", one of the most successful stallers, delayers and obstructionists on the planet. In fact, we're #2 in terms of total awards, right behind the United States. The awards are given out by the Climate Action Network. This year's awards include:

Dec 2 - (Gobbledy-gook but it's not pretty - ed)
Dec 4 - Canada, Japan, and Russia all spoke--and all three countries failed to propose the most fundamental, immediate, and essential thing: targets for Annex I countries to cut carbon by 2020 based on 1990 levels. Beating climate change with a target like Canada's is like trying to play hockey with a toothpick.

Dec 4 - Canada argued that the tar sands, the most ecologically destructive industrial project on the planet, should be a "get out of jail free card" on climate responsibilities.

Dec 4 - Canada for suggesting "welfare loss" as a justification for rich countries to have weaker emission reduction targets. When Canada talks about "welfare loss", it means such hardships as Canadians having to use smaller cars or public transit.

Dec 4 - Canada suggested that "national circumstances" are the reason for Canada being almost 30% above its Kyoto target. Specifically, Canada cited its cold climate and large size as two reasons for its failure to reduce emissions.

Dec 5 - Japan, Australia, and Canada share second place dishonours for the dangerous outbreak of backsliding at yesterday's AWG-KP contact group on mitigation commitments. When these countries signed the Kyoto Protocol, they agreed to limit their emissions relative to 1990 levels. But yesterday they appeared to be rethinking their vows.

Dec 6 - Canada wins the world's first-ever Saturday Fossil Award for its hypocrisy in the AWG-LCA workshop on Research and Development--for its claim of generous support for wind energy.

Dec 9 - For opposing targets of 25-40% reductions by Annex I countries by 2020, in KP (informal) negotiations the last two days.

Dec 9 - For working to delete the words "rights" from agreements on REDD in (informal) SBSTA negotiations today.

Dec 11 - Canada snags Third Fossil for ordering the Secretariat to tear down a photo presentation on the Alberta Tar Sands on display at the USCAN table. The display, set up by youth delegates, highlighted the tar sands, which are projected to create 80 million tonnes of new annual CO2 emissions between now and 2020.

Dec 12 - This group of umbrella countries--and Canada in particular--wins its Fossil for insisting that they haven't been obstructing progress. Their best evidence? The fact that they reaffirmed the decisions on targets made in Bali. Guess what progress isn't? Begrudgingly saying the same thing you did last year, and refusing to go any further.

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