Canada's Resource Minister: No, Really, We Think Climate Is A Real Problem. Seriously. Honest!
OTTAWA — Canada’s natural resources minister insists the federal government believes climate change is an urgent matter and says his recent comments on climate science will not erode the country’s credibility or chances at U.S. approval for the Keystone XL pipeline.
Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver, under fire Tuesday at a House of Commons committee, also defended the National Energy Board’s controversial new rules for Canadians wanting to participate in public hearings on a proposed Enbridge pipeline reversal and future projects.
Oliver was criticized last week for seemingly casting doubt on climate change science, saying in an interview with La Presse that “people aren’t as worried as they were before about global warming of two degrees.” “Scientists have recently told us that our fears (on climate change) are exaggerated,” Oliver told the Montreal daily newspaper.
In the interview, Oliver also said he was unaware of a recent warning from the International Energy Agency, a partnership of governments including Canada, that two-thirds of the existing known fossil fuel reserves must remain in the ground to prevent average global warming of more than 2 C above pre-industrial levels.
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http://www.vancouversun.com/news/national/Oliver+defends+controversial+comments+climate+change+says/8251571/story.html
