Monday, September 24, 2007

Kyoto post redux...

So, someone actually tried to say in a comment to my last Kyoto post that only two countries are close to meeting their Kyoto protocol targets (how they thought I was going to buy that is beyond me, given that many countries have ALREADY exceeded their targets, but whatever...).

So, FYI, here's a recent report on Kyoto progress.

The highlights:

The EU (the original member states signed on to a collective target for all 15 states, and then negotiated how they would share that burden amongst themselves) is on track to reduce their emissions by 9.3% by 2010, well ahead of their collective Kyoto target of an 8% reduction.

Individually within this group, the U.K. has already surpassed its target of a 12.5% reduction,and is now on track for a 23-35% reduction by 2010. (The U.K. is also committed to reducing it's emissions by 60% - not Harper's 50% - by 2050).

France has also surpassed it's target of staying at 1990 levels, and has reduced their emissions by 2%.

Sweden was actually permitted a targeted increase of 4% under the burden sharing agreement, however they have instead also reduced their emissions by 2% below 1990 levels. They've also committed to a Sweden free of fossil fuels by 2020.

Germany's reductions of 18.5% below 1990 levels meanwhile put it easily on target for their obligatory 21% reduction target.

In Eastern Europe meanwhile, (outside the E.U. Kyoto group) the ten Eastern European countries have reduced emissions by 32% below 1990 levels, well below their collective target of reducing their emissions by 7.7%. Pretty much every country in Eastern Europe (that's 10 countries remember) has already passed their individual Kyoto targets.

Iceland meanwhile, actually permitted a 10% increase under Kyoto, has also reduced their emissions below 1990 levels (obviously, SHATTERING their Kyoto target).

New Zealand is also on track to meet their 2010 targets.

To me, Iceland is the most shocking indictment of Canada's failure. Under Kyoto, Iceland was actually permitted to INCREASE their emissions to 10% above their 1990 emissions, while Canada committed to a reduction to 6% below our 1990 emissions. Since then, Iceland has reduced their emissions to 2% below their 1990 levels, while Canada's emissions have increased to more than 30% above 1990 levels. So, Iceland's target was 10% ABOVE 1990, ours was 6% BELOW 1990, and Iceland is currently WAY closer to hitting OUR target, than we are to hitting theirs!!!

That's abysmal.

We've increased our emissions beyond the targeted levels of the countries that were actually permitted to increase their emissions under the agreement. Meanwhile, several of those countries that , unlike us, were actually ALLOWED to have increases, have made reductions. It's pathetic, but true.

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2 comments:

tdwebste said...

Harper is correct eventually market forces, technical and social innovation will correct the excess and inefficient energy consumption in Canada. Eventually after he leaves office. His government is effectively standing in the way. Kyoto is an incentive based measure of increased energy efficiency. Our competitiveness will increasing suffer in comparison with the more energy efficient Asian world. We can see the ability to compete decreasing, why wait until we are uncompetitive.

Unfortunately technical and social innovation takes time to effect energy efficiency. And if you believe that we eventually need to increase our energy efficiency to compete with the more energy efficient world, then why delay. By delaying Harper is only increasing the shock the economy will suffer because of the time delay.

Lord Kitchener's Own said...

Tim,

And it's not just Asian either. Europe is also vastly ahead of us in terms of energy efficiency. North America is the great bastion of ineficiency and low productivity. I don't think we can rest on our laurels much longer if we want to remain competitive.