...But when asked if they'd be willing to pay an additional 25c per litre tax on gasoline to help reach that goal, a whopping 71% of Canadians opposed this policy. What about car owners being forced to avoid driving one day per week? A full 66% of Canadians oppose that.
In other words, let's meet our Kyoto targets as long as it's someone else who has to pay for being inconvenienced.
Kind of like David Suzuki and Al Gore. They sanctimoniously lecture all of us to cut back on our emissions but when it comes to choosing comfort and luxury or the environment, both men appear to choose comfort and luxury...
...So how realistic is it for Canada to meet its Kyoto commitments, signed by the Liberal government of Jean Chretien in 1998 and ratified in 2002? According to the Environment Canada web site's summary of 2004 GHGs, to meet our Kyoto target Canada must reduce emissions by 195 megatonnes (a Mt. is one million tonnes.)
But what does that mean? In 2004 Canada's GHG emissions were 758 Mt., which is 34.6% above our Kyoto target of 563 Mt. So, forget about just banning SUVs. Park every plane, train and automobile and we remove 145 Mt. of CO2 emissions. Close down every mining operation with its 15.4 Mt. That would leave us 34.6 Mt. short.
Shut down all commercial and institutional CO2 emitters with their 37.9 Mt and, hooray, we meet our targets just barely! But who wants to shut down hospitals and cookie factories?
Oil, gas and coal industries produce 154 Mt -- or 20% of this country's CO2. Shut that down, along with agriculture at 54.9 Mt and we'd be the darlings of the international Kyoto club by exceeding our targets by almost 14 Mt.
Of course, freezing in the dark is hardly an option for most Canadians who can't abide the thought of paying more for their gasoline...
Corbella's asking good questions here. Common sense questions. Questions that expose the irresonsibility (and hypocrisy) of politicians, pundits and Hollywood play-actors who continue to treat the Kyoto levels as sensible. And yes, of course, her questions are every bit as relevant for those of us in the United States as they are for our northern neighbors. Check it out.
(A side note: if you're interested in reading a bit more on Lisa Corbella herself and how a faithful Christian can serve God by engaging the culture, you might take a look at this article. I think you'll find her an inspirational, truly exemplary person.)
