Technically speaking, no Canadian wants to see our climate change to such a degree that would make life inhabitable on earth. That is only logical. Most Canadians are environmentally conscious. They reduce, reuse, and recycle. They reduce energy consumption where they can. And essentially, most Canadians are conscious about the adverse effects of environmental destruction?
Unfortunately, most Canadians don't even understand the Kyoto Accord.
On the surface, Canadians understand that the Kyoto Accord mandates the reduction of carbon emissions by 6% below 1990 levels by 2012. Most people don't know from where this target came and how it was derived (but like any target, for anything, you have to start somewhere). The Kyoto Accord was ratified in the late nineties by the Federal Government. Unfortunately, this ratification didn't have a roadmap. There was no plan. The Federal Liberals refused to table legislation that clearly displayed a plan (good or bad). They just simply publicly attacked those who opposed Kyoto in general.
But the real problem with the Kyoto Accord really isn't the 6% carbon emission reduction by 2012. And the real problem isn't the fact that during the Liberal term in power (13 years), greenhouse gas emissions rose 27%, thereby taking Canada further and further from its ratified target of 6% reduction from the 1990 level.
The real problem is the financial side of Kyoto. Most Canadians don't know that there is an "out" in the Kyoto Accord for countries who can't or won't reduce greenhouse gases (through industry regulation or development of new technologies). The "out" is actually a "carbon credit transfer system". Countries can pay a certain amount of money to other countries who have carbon credits.
For example, in the Kyoto Accord, Russia has a certain amount of carbon credits to sell. If another country involved in the Accord wants to avoid reducing their own emissions (either because they can't or because they won't), they can pay a certain amount of money (millions upon millions, actually) to Russia in exchange for these carbon credits. Supposedly, Russia then can use this money to develop technologies in their own country in order to be more "environmentally friendly".
In reality, Russia can use that money for whatever it darn well pleases.
In case nobody caught the lack of logic, I'll point it out. In this carbon credit transfer system, no carbon was reduced in the atmosphere. Just millions, if not billions, of dollars traded hands from some rich country to some poor country.
What Canadians are now beginning to realize is that when the Federal Liberals ordered the ratification of the Kyoto Accord, the reason they didn't institute a plan to actually regulate industry or develop new technologies (to ultimately reduce carbon emissions) is because they only planned, right from the very beginning, to transfer billions upon billions of dollars to third-world nations in exchange for their so-called "carbon credits".
That doesn't sound like a logical environmental solution to me?
Respectfully,
D'Arcy E. Barker, B.Sc, REBC
CHARTERED FINANCIAL PLANNER
REGISTERED EMPLOYEE BENEFITS CONSULTANT
www.barkermoney.com
