The financing is Canada’s 2010 share of the $100 billion that developed countries committed to under last year’s Copenhagen Accord to help poor nations adapt to the effects of climate change and lower their emissions.
The government has maintained that Canada supports a legally binding agreement to cut down emissions as long as all emitters sign on, including the developing nations.
But the government’s stance on the Kyoto Protocol might “raise eyebrows” and make it hard to understand how Canada can be interested in a legally binding agreement when it has neglected the provisions under the existing agreement, says John Drexhage, director of climate change and energy program at the Canadian think tank International Institute for Sustainable Development.
“If Canada wasn’t appointed to the Kyoto Protocol, then probably they would have a bit more credibility.”
On the other hand, Canada has been quick to fulfill its commitments in financing, he says.
“I think it helps to raise their reputation a bit during the negotiations, [although] probably a bit too late.”
Ottawa has been under pressure from environmentalists, many of whom have been highly critical of what they see as Canada’s lack of action on climate change.
“This summit can only be as successful as the political will of the key countries that arrive here,” says Graham Saul, executive director of Climate Action Network.
“Unfortunately there are certain countries like the United States whose hands are tied by right-wing senators in the U.S. congress, and there are certain countries like Canada that are coming here with a destructive agenda.”
Speaking at a news conference in Cancun, Environment Minister John Baird denied that Canada is standing in the way of progress for a new round of binding agreements, and rejected arguments that developing countries should have less binding commitments, the Globe and Mail reported.
The Cancun conference, which ends Dec. 10, is more low key compared to the summit held last year in Denmark which was attended by top-level leaders of member nations and resulted in the non-binding Copenhagen Accord.
Although some remain hopeful for more progress on a post-Kyoto agreement in this year’s summit, expectations are lower this year compared to last year, where the close to 200 member nations failed to achieve a legally binding agreement.
Drexhage says he doesn’t expect to see a comprehensive legally binding agreement achieved in Cancun.
“We’re not going to get everything in one fell swoop, and to think otherwise is not constructive.”
What we can expect from the 12-day summit is agreements on issues such as financing to developing countries for dealing with climate change and developing clean energy systems, and international processes to monitor and verify the activities of all major emitters, Drexhage says.
Environment Commissioner Scott Vaughan said this week that the government needs to do more to prepare Canada to adapt to the impacts of climate change.
“The health of Canadians and Canada’s natural environment, communities, and economy are vulnerable to the impacts of a changing climate, and the government is not ready to respond to them,” Vaughan said in a news release.
Transport Minister Chuck Strahl said in the House of Commons that the government is “working to address those concerns,” according to the Globe.
“In fact we are already taking action on preventing and preparing for environmental emergencies, something that [Baird] highlighted, strengthening our water-monitoring program and investing in climate-change adaptation. Those recommendations are welcome and they are consistent with what the government is already doing.”
