Rising greenhouse gases

14/10/2000
Down To Earth

canada's greenhouse gas emissions, in 1998, were 19 per cent more than the target set under the Kyoto Protocol, the country's environment ministry has revealed.

The ministry says that emissions from the electricity sector are 28 per cent above the 1990 levels and have continued to grow as coal is being used to meet most of the increased electricity demand. Emissions from the transportation sector are also 20 per cent above the 1990 levels. "But, the growth in emissions is slowing down and between 1997 and 1998 total greenhouse gas emissions grew only by one per cent, whereas in the mid 1990s, emissions were growing at about three per cent per year,' the ministry officials stated, adding, that emissions from the industrial sector were slightly below the 1990 levels because of the use of ecofriendly technology. According to the defence ministry, in the last five years Canada had spend more than us $574 million "to help understand and mitigate climate change' and in the budget for the year 2000 the government allocated more than us $405 million for initiatives related to controlling global warming. The government believes that its actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions will also bring improvements in the air quality, especially in urban areas such as Toronto city.

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development ( oecd ) in its Economic Survey of Canada 2000, has criticised Canada for its inability to achieve the Kyoto Protocol targets. "Even if Canada is able to buy greenhouse gas emission quotas in the international market, there would be a need to accelerate reduction in domestic fossil fuel consumption ,' oecd stated.

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