Canadian Government at Warsaw Climate Talks a Waste of Taxpayers Dollars

picture-8-1346574554.jpg
on

All week people have been coming by the press center here at the COP-19 UN climate negotiations asking, “Hey Kevin, why are you just sitting there playing with that pencil?” I sigh and reply, “Just waiting for Canada to do something… anything.” 

Finally, Canada’s Environment Minister showed up Wednesday to make a statement. But, not surprisingly, the Minister’s words were a far cry from reality. 

It used to be easy to write about Canada from UN climate negotiations. There was always some outrageous story to cover about how Canada was blocking progress or making life miserable for countries trying to actually make headway. But it has become a lot harder here at the negotiations underway right now in Warsaw, Poland.

At this round of climate negotiations Canadian negotiators are doing nothing. Literally.

According to reports from more than one observer to the talks, the Canadians joined their newfound allies in climate inaction, the Australians, early in the week to submit a paper that proposes nothing new. Now they are kicking back and doing nothing.

In her address to the COP-19 assembly, Canada’s Environment Minister, Leona Aglukkaq claimed that, “Canada is taking a leadership role in international climate change efforts by focusing on delivering significant environmental and economic benefits for all Canadians.”

But speaking on Canada’s lack of action here in Warsaw, Aglukkaq’s counterpart Jayanthi Natarajan, India’s Minister of the Environment and Forestry told me a very different story. She said:

“I know at Durban [a previous negotiations meeting], Canada spoke very strongly about the importance of climate change and thereafter refused to endorse the second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol. All I can say is that I hope countries like Canada, Australia, those that are no longer part of the process, will come on board and join the international community in trying to solve this problem.” [emphasis is mine]

While critics of these negotiations are always quick to point out that we should be looking to countries like China and India to act, I have attended events for both the Indian and Chinese delegations and it is clear that both those countries are at the negotiating tables here in Warsaw, and playing a leadership role.

Canada, one of the largest per-capita emitters of climate pollution in the world, from the looks of it is doing nothing more than their newfound friends down under who are lounging around in t-shirts, gorging on snacks.

The inequity of the situation reeks.

Two countries responsible for a massive amount of historical carbon emissions are kicking back eating doughnuts, while developing nations like the Philippines, who are the victims of all these emissions and warming, are desperately working to hammer out a deal. 

At climate negotiations in the past Canada has always been a major recipient of the “Fossil of the Day” award – a notorious prize handed out each day of negotiations by the environment umbrella group, Climate Action Network (CAN) International. But speaking at a CAN press conference Tim Gore, International Policy Advisor for Oxfam suggested Canada has become a meaningless recipient of the Fossil award:

“In terms of the negotiations, they [Canada] put their names to a text… this text I should say commits no one to anything. It’s just words on a page reiterating previous agreements. Some soft urging or encouraging people to do things if they would like to do that. It commits nobody to anything at all,” he said.

Another country pleading for leadership and action is Bangladesh, a country that is drowning already from the impacts of a warming world. In response to my question about what Canada is doing here in Warsaw, a chief negotiator and scientist from the Bangladeshi contingent had this to say:

So there remains some hope here in Warsaw. Canadians, who in a recent opinion poll overwhelmingly said they want Canada to lead on a new international agreement to limit greenhouse gas emissions, should also remain hopeful given the pressure their government is feeling at home and here in Warsaw. 

But without the Minister of Environment and her team present at the negotiating table, the use of taxpayer money to fly them all the way to Warsaw was a complete waste. 

picture-8-1346574554.jpg

Kevin is a contributor and strategic adviser to DeSmogBlog.

He runs the digital marketing agency Spake Media House. Named a “Green Hero” by Rolling Stone Magazine and one of the “Top 50 Tweeters” on climate change and environment issues, Kevin has appeared in major news media outlets around the world for his work on digital campaigning.

Kevin has been involved in the public policy arena in both the United States and Canada for more than a decade. For five years he was the managing editor of DeSmogBlog.com. In this role, Kevin’s research into the “climate denial industry” and the right-wing think tank networks was featured in news media articles around the world. He is most well known for his ground-breaking research into David and Charles Koch’s massive financial investments in the Republican and tea party networks.

Kevin is the first person to be designated a “Certified Expert” on the political and community organizing platform NationBuilder.

Prior to DeSmogBlog, Kevin worked in various political and government roles. He was Senior Advisor to the Minister of State for Multiculturalism and a Special Assistant to the Minister of State for Asia Pacific, Foreign Affairs for the Government of Canada. Kevin also worked in various roles in the British Columbia provincial government in the Office of the Premier and the Ministry of Health.

In 2008 Kevin co-founded a groundbreaking new online election tool called Vote for Environment which was later nominated for a World Summit Award in recognition of the world’s best e-Content and innovative ICT applications.

Kevin moved to Washington, DC in 2010 where he worked for two years as the Director of Online Strategy for Greenpeace USA and has since returned to his hometown of Vancouver, Canada.

Related Posts

on

The deal would place 40 percent of California’s idle wells in the hands of one operator. Campaigners warn this poses an "immense" risk to the state — which new rules could help to mitigate, depending on how regulators act.

The deal would place 40 percent of California’s idle wells in the hands of one operator. Campaigners warn this poses an "immense" risk to the state — which new rules could help to mitigate, depending on how regulators act.
Opinion
on

Corporations are using sport to sell the high-carbon products that are killing our winters, and now we can put a figure on the damage their money does.

Corporations are using sport to sell the high-carbon products that are killing our winters, and now we can put a figure on the damage their money does.
on

Inside the conspiracy to take down wind and solar power.

Inside the conspiracy to take down wind and solar power.
on

A new report estimates the public cost of underwriting U.S. plastics industry growth and the environmental violations that followed.

A new report estimates the public cost of underwriting U.S. plastics industry growth and the environmental violations that followed.