The Kyoto Accord is the one of the largest international environmental efforts ever and is on the minds of all politicians, many industries and much of the general public.  The general idea behind the Kyoto Accord is to lower CO2 emissions to 6% below 1990 levels.  Those in support of the agreement question how anyone could be against decreasing the amount of CO2 in our atmosphere and potentially avoiding the catastrophic effects many predict will eventually result from global warming.  Yet there are opponents of the Accord and they continue to raise concerns over the ineffectiveness of Kyoto, the negative economic impacts and the competitive disadvantage nations who signed will experience in the global economy.  I am a proud Canadian but am unsure if I support my country making a huge commitment to help stop a potential problem (global warming) when we have so many known problems (lack of funding for health care and education to name a few).  Before I make any claims as to what I think about Canada and the Kyoto Accord I thought I should have a look to see what Canada is really planning to do.

Upon reading “Moving Forward on Climate Change: A Plan for Honoring our Kyoto Commitment” it became apparent Canada’s plan to meet Kyoto begins by identifying 6 key areas that will be targeted with action plans as follows:

• Industry,
• Market forces,
• Canadian Governments,
• Citizens,
• Agriculture and Forestry,
• Cities and Communities.

The action plans developed for each of the areas range from, “Competitive and Sustainable Industries for the 21st Century,” which outlines ways in which Canadian industries can receive funding for technological innovation and for the use of renewable energy, to, “The One-Tonne Challenge,” which gives the citizens of Canada a guideline that can be followed to reduce emissions through lifestyle changes.  The programs have a budget in the range of 10 billion dollars through 2012 with the hope is that emissions will be decreased by 270 mega-tonnes annually in the 2008-2012 period.

From what I’ve gleaned from the literature, the Kyoto Accord calls for Canadians to be more environmentally conscious in our daily lives, provides industry incentive to develop environmentally friendly technologies and encourages the use and development of renewable energy technologies.  While in my opinion it is questionable if Kyoto will have an impact on global warming, there is no doubt in my mind that there are significant benefits to an increased environmental awareness and the use of renewable energy technologies.  For the present I agree with Canada’s measures to meet the Kyoto Accord and support it’s signing.  As for the future only time can tell if the measures taken today will prove effectual.

References:
The Government of Canada. “Moving Forward on Climate Change: A Plan for Honoring our Kyoto Commitment” Project Green – 2005. Minister of Public Works and Government Services Canada, Ottawa, Ontario. July 6, 2005 <www.climatechange.gc.ca>