Distributed by the Canadian International Council
It is no surprise that Canada came under withering international criticism at the December UN climate change conference in Bali. Despite widespread agreement on the dire prospects, Canada is a long way from facing up to the need for effective action.
This is the blunt conclusion reached by Mark Winfield and Matthew Bramley in their articles in the January 2008 issue of Behind the Headlines.
As Mark Winfield concludes in his article Climate Change and Canadian Energy Policy: Policy Contradiction and Policy Failure "an effective overall greenhouse gas reduction strategy will require the full engagement of the federal government and all the provinces and territories. Both levels of government will need to reorient their policies related to energy, transportation, land-use, natural resource development and management in fundamental ways. The initiatives we have seen so far have barely begun the process." Winfield points in particular to what he describes as Canada's 'de facto energy policy', with its fiscal and other supports for the production and export of energy sources that generate the greatest GHG emissions, and limited support for the development of alternatives.
Matthew Bramley, who attended the Bali conference in December, reports on what was for many the disappointing outcome of that meeting - an outcome that owed not a little to the position taken by the Canadian government. He summarizes the elements of the 'Bali Roadmap' - the mandate for negotiating by the end of 2009 the post-2012 global climate agreement. Bramley concludes, as does Winfield, that a dramatic strengthening of key policies is needed and that "Without these changes it is very difficult to see how Canada can play a responsible part in the Bali Roadmap negotiations over the next two years."
Mark Winfield is Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies at York University. Prior to joining York University, he was Program and Policy Director with the Pembina Institute, and prior to that, Director of Research with the Canadian Institute for Environmental Law and Policy. marksw@yorku.ca
Matthew Bramley has been Director of the Pembina Institute's Climate Change Program since 2001. The author of numerous reports and articles on climate policy, he is one of Canada's best known advocates for stronger government policies to address climate change. Dr. Bramley attended the Bali meetings. matthewb@pembina.org
Behind the Headlines, published by the Canadian Institute of International Affairs since 1940, is now a publication of the Canadian International Council. Articles in the series deal with important international issues, with an emphasis on their implications for Canada, and are intended for a general rather than specialized audience. The views expressed are those of the authors. Communications about submissions should be addressed to either: Robert Johnstone, Editor - bjohnstone@ciia.org; 416-977-9000, ext. 24 OR Patricia Goff, Associate Editor - pgoff@wlu.ca; 519-884-0710, ext. 2588