Canada’s Current Programs on Climate Change may not be enough to Sustain Targets for 2020.
Billions of dollars being wasted on ineffective endeavors
The recent observations made by an environmental watchdog that the Canadian government is throwing away a hug sum of money on inadequately planned climate change programs indicates lack of political determination on the part of the ruling Conservative Party.
A Climate Change Accountability Act would have strengthened legislation on climate change had it not been defeated in the Senate in November of 2010.
This bill was supposed to have set more aggressive goals than the country's 2020 target that was submitted under the Copenhagen Accord.
It sought a 17 percent reduction in emissions according to 2005 targets and was united with the commitments of the U.S.
In his unfavorable report, Scott Vaughn, commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development, revealed that the government has set aside $8.8 billion for various projects under the 2010 Climate Change Plan.
Reuters reported that after gaining power in 2006, Conservatives rebuffed the Kyoto climate change accord which committed Canada to cut emissions to an average of 6 percent below its 1990 level by 2012.
Party officials claimed that the treaty could harm the nation's economy.
The government has vowed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 17 percent below 2005 levels by 2020.
Vaughn said that the present government cares less for the environment and is allied with major players in the energy sector.
"The general coordination of these climate change programs is relatively poor and if this is the case, there is a strong possibility that they would miss their targets," he explained to the media.
Environmental Minister Peter Kent defended the administration saying that Ottawa is "constantly improving environmental programs to attain objectives set in the 2020 goal."
Vaughn earlier voiced out his complaints regarding the deficient and missing environmental information on the effects of developing the oil-rich sands contaminated by tar which is a destructive distillation of organic substances such as coal or wood in Northern Alberta.
The federal government disputed this claim and stated that it would spend some C$50 million annually for monitoring air and water quality in the province along with the consequences of oil sands development on biodiversity.