Time for some Kyoto honesty

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Since the last days of the Paul Martin government it has been widely recognized that Canada is not going to meet its Kyoto Protocol greenhouse gas emission target. As one of their first acts in government, the Conservatives made this crystal clear to the world.

But they did not formally withdraw from the treaty as allowed under Kyoto's Article 27. The Canadian government now has only to the end of December to officially quit the protocol or we will be in gross violation of what many regard as international law.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper must quickly decide -- is it better for Canada to not meet our Kyoto target and thereby break an important worldwide treaty, or is it better to simply withdraw from the agreement and so violate nothing except the sensitivities of climate campaigners?

From a climatic perspective, our failure to meet our target makes no difference. Canada's emissions represent two per cent of the world's total and, even if all countries that agreed to caps under Kyoto achieved them, the remaining 80 per cent of the world's population live in nations that have no protocol emission limits whatsoever.

China's economy is expanding so rapidly that between 2009 and 2010 its carbon dioxide emissions increased by more that twice the entire Canadian 2010 output. The fact that the science backing Kyoto is dubious should have put the issue to rest years ago.

But it did not. Our government and industry leaders continued to bow to political correctness, assuring the public and the international community that Canada was doing its part to "stop climate change" and would remain an active participant in Kyoto. This failure of nerve has cost us enormously.

The Auditor General reported that $9 billion was allocated to climate-related projects by the federal government in 2010. Ontario is spending $7 billion on wind turbines as part of its Green Energy Plan designed to combat global warming. The feds along with Saskatchewan and Alberta have allocated billions more to capturing and storing CO2 underground. On Monday, Canada committed another $400 million to fulfilling our optional Copenhagen Accord commitments.

For what? To appease an environmental movement that polls show no longer represents mainstream Canadians? To boost our already battered reputation at international climate summits where we are attacked no matter what stance we take simply for being an oil supplier to the United States?

To the average Canadian, the government and industry's capitulation to lobby groups looks ridiculous. Climate campaigners' disdain for the prime minister and his party, and natural resources industries in general, is a permanent condition, not swayed by logic or pandering.

Harper seemed to recognize this on Monday when, with reference to the Northern Gateway Pipeline linking the oil sands to Kitimat, B.C., he told Global News that, "I think environmentalists will oppose any of these projects," implying that this had no impact on his support for the pipeline.

Canada's government and corporate leaders must show such backbone more often.

First and foremost, they must stop feeding the fire that threatens to burn down our natural resources sector, by far the largest source of Canada's wealth. Government and industry must no longer use the rhetoric of climate alarmism and call a spade a spade: CO2 is not a pollutant and its influence on global climate is uncertain.

Climate always changes naturally, sometimes dangerously so. Consequently, we should help our most vulnerable citizens prepare for whatever nature throws at us next, cooling being by far the most dangerous possibility. The vast sums being funneled into climate control is a waste.

Next, the government needs to invite scientists from both sides of the climate debate to testify before Commons and Senate committees to help members acquire a more realistic perspective of what is, and is not, known scientifically. While the Commons environment committee occasionally heard from well-qualified climate realists when the Liberals were in power, not a single scientist skeptic has testified on Harper's watch. Judging from House of Commons Question Periods, there is a great deal of basic scientific literacy upgrading required in Parliament if Canada is to enable rational energy and environment policies. Climate science hearings must start without delay and should be open to all media and the public.

Some claim that our violation of Kyoto does not matter since penalties are not imposed unless we sign on to a second compliance period, something the government has sworn not to do. Others care about Canada's reputation as an honest broker and recognize that breaking such an important agreement when there is a mechanism in place to legally withdraw is irresponsible.

Canada has an important leadership role to play at the UN climate conference in South Africa. Environment Minister Peter Kent needs to unashamedly announce that we are exiting the Kyoto Protocol and all other futile attempts to control the world's climate.

Instead, Kent must say Canada is focusing on helping the world's most vulnerable peoples cope with climate change while we do our own independent evaluation of the science.

This would demonstrate that Canadians value honesty above political expediency on the climate file.

Tom Harris is executive director of the International Climate Science Coalition climatescienceinternational.org/

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition December 5, 2011 A18