WARSAW, Poland – Canada was awarded a ‘Fossil of Disbelief’ as part of the long-running ‘Fossil of the Day’ awards series at the UN climate talks in Warsaw. The special award was granted for the Canadian government’s recent public support (expressed by the Prime Minister’s Parliamentary Secretary) of a broad move by the Australian government to repeal that country’s comprehensive climate legislation.
“Delegates here in Warsaw came together to talk about increasing overall ambition on climate change,” said Christian Holz, Executive Director of Climate Action Network Canada, “This statement by the Harper government show that this government is not negotiating in good faith at these talks – playing cheerleader for climate inaction flies in the face of countries that are already suffering from the consequences of climate change.”
The fact that Canada would make such statements when public attention is focused on devastation and the climate connection to storms such as Super Typhoon Haiyan fueled the sense of disbelief behind the award’s moniker.
The Canadian federal government’s stated preference for a regulatory approach has proven to be ineffective to curb emissions. Notably, the government’s own estimates in the recently released Emissions Trends 2013 projects 2020 emissions at levels 20% above Canada’s Copenhagen target. Meanwhile, recent polling confirms that 84% of Canadians want the government to take a lead on climate action with 76% wanting Canada to sign an international climate agreement.
“Instead of congratulating other climate laggards on the other side of the world, the government should focus on catching up with what Canadians think on climate change. This would mean real action at home to meet at least the meager reduction target that Harper set for Canada in Copenhagen, but it would also mean contributing in good faith to these international negotiations,” said Holz.
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Contact:
Dr. Christian Holz, Executive Director
Climate Action Network Canada - Réseau action climat Canada
Toll Free: +1 855 CLIM NET (254-6638) ext 24
Local phone in Warsaw: +48 795 665 642
About:
Climate Action Network International:
Climate Action Network International (CAN) is a worldwide network of over 850 Non-Governmental Organizations in more than 100 countries, working to promote government and individual action to limit human-induced climate change to ecologically sustainable levels.
Climate Action Network Canada – Réseau action climat Canada:
Climate Action Network Canada – Réseau action climat Canada is the Canadian node of CAN. It is a national network comprised of over 90 member organizations from across the country, representing aboriginal, faith-based, labour and environmental NGOs. Climate Action Network Canada is the only organization in the country with a mandate to promote the climate movement as a whole, rather than the interests and programs of any one organization.
Fossil of the Day awards:
The Fossil of the Day is a long-standing tradition in the UN climate talks and is voted on and awarded by Climate Action Network International, an international network of over 850 civil society organizations. It is presented daily to the country or countries that do the most to undermine global negotiations to address climate change. The Fossil of the Day awards were first presented at the climate talks in 1999 in Bonn, initiated by the German NGO Forum.