Canada's greenhouse gas emissions dip

[alp227]

Source: CBC News

Canadian emissions of greenhouses gases fell roughly six per cent between 2008 and 2009, Environment Canada reports.

"This was the second year in a row that emissions decreased, caused in part by the global recession and reduced use of coal for electricity generation," said the report submitted to the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change this week.

The decrease, equivalent to 42 megatonnes of carbon dioxide, brought Canada's 2009 emissions down to 690 megatonnes.

The annual report was submitted under requirements of the Kyoto Protocol, the international agreement signed by Canada in 1998 to reduce global warming linked to emissions of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and methane.

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2011/05/19/environment-greenhouse-gas-canada.html

[Kurovski]

1. But clean coal is the future!

Canada is so backward!

I'm being sarcastic!

[Snoutport]

2. -1

[Kurovski]

3. -1,000,000,000

But it's nice you donated. :P

:kick:

[pampango]

4. UK proposing big cuts. NYT: Britain Sets Strict Targets for Greenhouse Gas Emissions

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/18/business/global/18carbon.html?_r=1

Britain announced on Tuesday some of the world’s most ambitious targets for cutting greenhouse gas emissions, calling for a reduction of 50 percent by 2025.

Chris Huhne, the secretary of state for energy and climate change, said the measures would be aimed at weaning the country off cars that pollute and at encouraging new industries. But he added that the commitment would be reviewed in 2014. If other members of the European Union had not adopted stricter targets by that time, Britain could be allowed to emit more during the mid-2020s.

The proposal goes much further than the E.U. goal of cutting emissions 20 percent by 2020, and would represent speedier progress than that of other economies of the same size. The announcement lifted optimism among scientists and policy makers that fighting climate change remains viable even as economies continue to show, at best, feeble growth.

The E.U. climate action commissioner, Connie Hedegaard, said Tuesday that the measure was “an outstanding example of strong willingness to act despite difficult economic times,” and that Britain was seizing “a huge economic and innovation opportunity that will make its economy more competitive in the future.”

[GliderGuider]

5. Most countries' GHG emissions fell in 08-09 - it was entirely due to the recession

Unfortunately, that points out a most awkward fact for the future of the planet, or rather for the future of humans on the planet. The only thing that has shown any sign whatsoever of reducing our CO2 output is economic distress. Not windmills, not solar panels, not nuclear reactors - only recessions and depressions have the power to save the planet...