Ottawa, September 2, 2005 — Leaders of Canada's environmental community applauded the federal government and Environment Minister Dion today for their decision to add climate-changing greenhouse gases to the list of substances that can be regulated under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA).
"Leading national science academies are calling on governments to act urgently to cut greenhouse gas emissions, and that requires regulated reduction targets," said Dr. Matthew Bramley, Director, Climate Change at the Pembina Institute. "There is an overwhelming scientific consensus that greenhouse gases meet the criteria for regulation under CEPA."
"Adding greenhouse gases to CEPA is an essential step in Canada's plan to meet its Kyoto Protocol target," said John Bennett, Senior Policy Advisor at the Sierra Club of Canada. "It is therefore critically important to confirm this decision before Canada hosts the United Nations Climate Change Conference in November."
"In moving to regulate greenhouse gases, Canada is following at least 27 other countries and four U.S. states that have already done so," commented Morag Carter, Director, Climate Change at the David Suzuki Foundation. "To meet the Kyoto timeline, the government must now move quickly to publish regulations setting greenhouse gas targets for Canada's major polluters."
"This is a significant step forward in Canada's plan to address climate change and ensure a healthy environment and a competitive economy," said Ken Ogilvie, Executive Director of Pollution Probe. "Regulating greenhouse gases is essential to putting Canada among world leaders who are aggressively cutting emissions."
1. The Royal Society. 2005. Joint science academies' statement: Global response to climate change; http://www.royalsoc.ac.uk/document.asp?id=3222.
2. The 27 countries are the 25 European Union member states plus Norway and Switzerland. The four U.S. states are Oregon, New Hampshire, Massachussetts and Washington, which have all enacted regulated emissions targets-and-trading systems that limit CO2 emissions from fossil-fuelled electricity generation.
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Contact:
Matthew Bramley, Pembina Insitute: 819-483-6288, ext. 26.
John Bennett, Sierra Club: 613-291-6888.
Morag Carter, David Suzuki Foundation: 778-386-1448.
Ken Ogilvie, Pollution Probe: 416-926-1907, ext. 231.