‘FAILURE TO FAILURE’: CANADA WORST ON CLIMATE OF G7, SAYS COMMISSIONER’S REPORT

Fri 26 November 2021:

According to the environment commissioner, Canada has failed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions connected to global warming, rating it as the “worst performer” among the Group of Seven industrialized nations.

Jerry DeMarco, an independent parliamentary investigator, published a series of papers looking at decades of government climate action that resulted in a more than 20% increase in emissions since 1990.

“Canada was once a leader in the fight against climate change. However, after a series of missed opportunities, it has become the worst performer of all G7 nations since the landmark Paris Agreement on climate change was adopted in 2015,” said Environment and Sustainable Development Commissioner Jerry V. DeMarco in a media statement.

Canada “has become the worst performer of all G7 nations since the landmark Paris Agreement on climate change was adopted in 2015,” DeMarco, whose title is environment commissioner, told a news conference.

“We can’t continue to go from failure to failure; we need action and results, not just more targets and plans,” he said.

DeMarco pointed to, for example, a government fund to help Canada’s oil and gas sector slash their CO2 emissions. Some 40 funded projects allowed companies to increase their production and related emissions.

He also said reporting by a dozen government departments on sustainable development was poor. “They did not report results for almost half their actions,” he said.

Climate disasters

The commissioner said that dealing with weather-related disasters, such as the catastrophic flooding in B.C.’s interior, costs the country up to six per cent of GDP annually. Better preparation for such events is critical one of the reports said.

“Compared with the high costs of cleaning up disasters after the fact, investing early in adaptation measures avoids losses and generates significant economic, social and environmental benefits,” the report said.

While Canada represents about 1.6 percent of global CO2 emissions, it is among the top 10 largest emitters globally and one of the highest emitters per capita.

The country is also the fourth largest producer and exporter of oil in the world. While domestic consumption declines, Canada’s energy regulator predicts that exports will increase fossil fuel production.

(with agencies)

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