kyoto protocol

The environment commissioner tabled his spring report this morning.

Ottawa deals legal blow to troubled climate treaty

New global pact to be in place by 2015

Ottawa now calling for a binding treaty by 2015

There’s news of European Union pressure on China to explain what sort of obligations it might be ready to adopt

Andrew Leach considers the past, present and future of Canada’s involvement in international climate negotiations.

China: Canada setting “bad example”

The Conservatives want to withdraw from Kyoto. If only they would say so.

Canada will formally pull out of the Kyoto Protocol a few days before Christmas, CTV’s Roger Smith reported on Sunday. The development comes as countries gather in Durban, South Africa on Monday for a climate conference expected to pave the way a new deal to replace the Kyoto Protocol, which expires on Dec. 31 2012. Environment Minister Peter Kent criticized the Protocol for setting unrealistic emission targets and excluding major emitters in the developing world, such as China, India and Brazil. The Conservatives’ move amounted to “a very damaging act of sabotage,” according to Green Party Leader Elizabeth May.

When it comes to climate change, John Baird is not about to make promises he can’t keep. Or keep promises he once made.

Bjorn Lomborg has written a challenging article on why Barack Obama should not do anything about climate change. Lomborg is probably the most respected of climate change skeptics, and author of two books, The Skeptical Environmentalist and Cool It. He doesn’t dispute that global warming is happening, but argues our money is better spent on other policy goals. He makes the following points.