Canada's Greenhouse Gas Emissions Far Above Target

Canada's Greenhouse Gas Emissions Far Above Target

PlanetArk, CANADA

11th May 2006

OTTAWA - Canada's emissions of greenhouse gases are now 35 percent above the level it promised to reach under the Kyoto climate change accord and the country would have to ground every train, plane and car to meet its target, Environment Minister Rona Ambrose said on Wednesday.

Ambrose, a member of the new Conservative government, says Canada has no chance of meeting a Kyoto commitment to cut emissions to 6 percent below 1990 levels by 2008-12. The target was agreed by the previous Liberal government.

"Later this week we will release Canada's greenhouse gas inventory and it will show that Canada's (level of emissions) is now 35 percent higher than the Kyoto targets that the Liberals set," she told Parliament.

"To put that into perspective ... that would mean that today we would have to take every train, plane and automobile off the streets of Canada. That is not realistic."

The most recent data showed Canada's emissions were running 24.4 percent above 1990 levels. These will rise as oil sands are further developed in the energy-rich western province of Alberta -- which is also the main political base of the Conservative government.