The Kyotoplus Campaign

GreenMuze.com recently joined the KYOTOplus Campaign as part of a nationwide movement to encourage an urgent solution to the global warming crisis.

KYOTOplus is a joint project from a number of Canadian public interest groups designed to mobilize public support for action on climate change. We are posting the KYOTOplus Campaign information below to encourage individual Canadians and the country's green organizations to get involved.

KYOTOplus Campaign

There are two main components to the campaign. First, Canadian politicians have been asked to take the KYOTOplus Pledge, calling on them to support strong action against global warming in Canada and around the world.

Second, the campaign is asking individual Canadians to sign the KYOTOplus petition. The petition calls for Canada to reduce greenhouse gas emission at least 25% (from the 1990 level) by 2020.

Campaign Target

The campaign is targeting a minimum of one million signatures for this petition. The aim is to deliver these signatures to the United Nations climate conference that will take place in December 2009 in Copenhagen, Denmark. This conference will make the crucial decision about a second phase of the Kyoto Protocol. Canada must be part of the solution, not part of the problem.

Canada’s Obligations

Canada is required, under the Kyoto Protocol, to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions to 6% below 1990 levels during the 2008-2012 period. To honour its Kyoto commitment Canada must immediately re-commit to making genuine best efforts to meet the target, and accept the penalties for any shortfall in reaching the targets.

Canada’s Action Plan Must Include:

• a price on greenhouse gas pollution, applied broadly in the economy, of at least $30/tonne by 2009, rising to at least $75/tonne by 2020;
• a cap and trade system for Canadian industry whereby the government caps the greenhouse gas emissions permitted in a given year and then ratchets that cap down over time, toward our target.;
• world-leading regulations and effective investments to cut greenhouse gas pollution from vehicles, buildings and other significant emissions sources;
• regulations for vehicles to meet or exceed California’s clean car standard;
• measures to ensure a massive scale up of energy conservation and use of all low-impact renewable energy options in Canada;
• effective measures to minimize climate change impacts on Canadian citizens;
• urgent measures to minimize impacts of climate change on biodiversity, including large-scale protection of natural ecosystems;
• a guarantee that Canada will provide its fair share of funding to help poor countries fight global warming;
• annual, independent audits of Canada’s progress towards its greenhouse gas targets so the Plan can be strengthened if needed; and
• a commitment to provide full information about emissions, caps, trading, and other actions to reduce greenhouse gas pollution for Canadian citizens.

Global Warming

Global warming is an unparalleled and “unequivocal” human-made environmental crisis. In Canada, we have seen the melting of glaciers, the dramatic loss of sea-ice in the Arctic, loss of perma-frost, and the destruction of forests by the pine beetle. Without immediate action, long-term impacts such as rising sea levels will result in millions of environmental refugees and destruction of crops will lead to worldwide famine.

It is widely accepted that in order to prevent catastrophically dangerous climate change, the global average temperature increase above pre-industrial levels must be kept below 2 degrees Celsius. In order to achieve this, global greenhouse gas emissions must be stabilized and begin to decline before 2015, and be further reduced to less than 50% of 1990 levels by 2050. This means that developed countries, including Canada, must reduce emissions 25% to 40% by 2020, and 80% to 95% by 2050.

Groups that are supporting the KYOTOplus Campaign include Oxfam, Greenpeace Canada, Sierra Club Canada and the David Suzuki Foundation.

We need all Canadians, individuals and green organizations, to lend their voice to the KYOTOplus Campaign to ensure Canada will be part of the climate change solution.

Visit: http://www.kyotoplus.ca/

Valerie Williams is the editor of GreenMuze.com.