Canada's Minister of the Environment might opt for voluntary environmental pledges

Nov 30, 2011 07:40 GMT  ·  By
Peter Kent, the current Minister of the Environment in the 28th Canadian Ministry
   Peter Kent, the current Minister of the Environment in the 28th Canadian Ministry

A recent report indicates that Canada plans to withdraw from the Kyoto Protocol, the legal framework aiming to curb greenhouse emission still valid until 2012. This rumor was brought into discussion during the ongoing climate negotiations.

At this point in time, Canada's position isn't certain, since Peter Kent, its Minister of the Environment doesn't want to reveal any details, refusing to “confirm or deny” this controversial information. In Kent's opinion, abandoning the current environmental regulations is considered only “an option," WWF reports.

Several nations have expressed their disappointment, because Canada's support is definitely essential for an effective international agreement on how to handle the consequences of climate change. On the first day of the summit, this hearsay managed to make the officials question Canada's intentions and credibility.

Instead of focusing on how to improve the already implemented set of regulations, Minister Kent declares himself in favor of “a mandate to work on an eventual binding convention.”

“At a time when even the International Energy Agency is pointing out that we are way off track on meeting global commitments and that the window is closing rapidly on the ability to stay under the shared goal of limiting warming to 2°C, it is hard to imagine how Minister Kent’s preferred path can possibly result in the kind of increased ambition and action,” officials from WWF state.

This story could have an alarming drop scene if other countries decide to follow Canada's presumed path. While the main purpose of the summit is to highlight an international commitment, a series of independent promises might ruin its mission.

Kent's supposed future path doesn't reveal how the theory apparently embraced by his nation will be put into practice to come up with more actions, needed as soon as possible.

As we speak, it seems that Canada is already far behind with its environmental commitments, since a recent study issued by the International Institute of Sustainable Development indicates that it is ready to meet only 30% of its announced target for 2020.