Greenpeace Urges Canadian Government to Sign Kyoto Protocol

["greenbase" <greenbas@gb.greenpeace.org>]

Greenpeace Urges Canadian Government to Sign Kyoto Protocol

(Vancouver) March 15, 1998 - As the Kyoto Protocol officially
opens for signatures today at the United Nations in New York,
Greenpeace urges the federal government to sign the Protocol as
soon as possible.

"The Protocol is open for signatures for one year and Canada
must lead the way in showing we are serious about combating
climate change," said Steven Guilbeault, Greenpeace Climate and
Energy Campaigner. "Furthermore, we would like to encourage all
provincial governments to publicly state their support for the
Kyoto agreement and its emissions reduction targets," Guilbeault
added, referring to the 1992 Framework Convention on Climate
Change (FCCC) where two provincial governments, British Columbia
and Quebec, pledged provincial commitment to FCCC principles.

Signing the Protocol is only the first step towards a binding
agreement because it will only carry legal weight once it is
ratified.

Greenpeace also urged Canada not to exploit several loopholes in
the agreement. For example, the creation of this international
trading regime could allow countries like Russia and the Ukraine
to sell their excess emission levels, which are below 1990
baselines because of economic collapse, to countries like Canada
and the U.S., enabling them to actually increase their emissions
without penalty. By creating a system of "paper credits", the
agreement allows for the introduction of emissions into the
system that otherwise might not have been there.

Climate change is the result of increasing concentrations of
greenhouse gases in the atmosphere resulting from fossil fuel
consumption, deforestation (loss of carbon sinks) and land-use
change.  In 1995, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
(IPCC), a United Nation's science body composed of about 3000
scientists, determined the planet's temperature was getting
warmer and linked it to human activities.  Increasing severity
and occurrence of El Nino, the Sagueney and Manitoba flooding,
and the recent ice storm in Quebec maybe influenced by climate
change.

In the aftermath of Kyoto, the Canadian government announced the
creation of a climate change Secretariat and its intention to
spend $150 million over the next 3 years to address climate
change issues.  "Unfortunately, the Canadian government has not
offered tax incentives to corporations for reducing greenhouse
gas emissions. The tax structure still favours fossil fuel
investments over renewable alternatives like solar and wind
energy sources," commented Kevin Jardine, Energy and Climate
Campaigner for Greenpeace.

Greenpeace on the Internet at http://www.greenpeace.org