Canadian PM Harper repackaging Bush's carbon intensity spin

Wed, 2007-09-26 15:11Emily Murgatroyd

Canadian PM Harper repackaging Bush's carbon intensity spin

Stephen Harper's lack of real leadership in the climate change crisis means that Canada's opportunity to lead the world in meaningful and significant environmental policy is traveling further further away from reality.

His hard push toward intensity targets over hard caps begs the question - just how stupid does he think Canadians are?

(Apparently as stupid as Bush find Americans).

Intensity targets are a sexy way of saying lots and doing nothing. A nice accounting trick more than anything.

Carbon intensity is usually defined as the ratio of carbon emissions to economic activity. Put simply, if carbon emissions go up at a rate close to economic growth, the overall carbon intensity would be nil.

It's been convenient spin for the United States which pledges to cut greenhouse gas intensity by 18% by 2012, but so far between 1990 to 2000 the carbon intensity of the U.S. economy declined by 17 percent yet total emissions increased by 14 percent.

So just how far are Canadians going to be spun before the wheels fall off of Harper and Bush's intensity bandwagon?

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Thu, 2007-09-27 10:44 — Simon Praxmarer

These guys are so harmful.

one nitpick

Thu, 2007-09-27 10:44 — Steve L

Hi Emily, you say, "if carbon emissions go up at a rate close to economic growth, the overall carbon intensity would be nil." But what I think you mean to say is that the change in carbon intensity would be nil.

Nostalgia isn't what it used to be

Thu, 2007-09-27 15:31 — FEMACK

The photo you have chosen to go with this item has eerie echoes for me of another pair of leaders, one Brian Mulroney & Ronald Reagan. EEEUW!

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Canadian PM Harper repackaging Bush's carbon intensity spin