Matthew Bramley, Director of the Pembina Institute's Climate Change Program, made the following comments in response to reports that federal Environment Minister Jim Prentice no longer plans to unveil Canada's plan for regulating greenhouse gas pollution before December's UN climate summit in Copenhagen:
"Earlier this year, Minister Prentice committed to 'outline the full suite of policies that relate to all major sources of emissions' before the Copenhagen summit this December.
"Breaking that promise would be a sad continuation of the government's longstanding failure to show leadership on climate change. Canada's international credibility is already near rock-bottom, but arriving in Copenhagen with no policies capable of substantially cutting our emissions would be a new low.
"While we delay, other countries are forging ahead. The U.S. Senate is hard at work on climate legislation, and President Obama's economic stimulus package invested 14 times more per capita than Canada's in renewable energy like wind and solar.
"There's still time for Canada to act. Stephen Harper's government must develop and implement effective greenhouse gas regulations urgently. It's the best way to influence U.S. climate decisions, end the policy uncertainty that's bad for business, and have a chance of meeting emission-reduction targets that are aligned with science."
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The Pembina Institute is a non-partisan sustainable energy think tank.
Contact:
Matthew
Bramley
Director,
Climate Change
Tel: 819-483-6288
ext. 26
Cell: 819-210-6115