“Clearly, Canada has to review the goals it committed to in Copenhagen which were not nearly ambitious enough, and which it doesn't even have a plan to meet," said Patrick Bonin, director of energy and climate for the Association québécoise de lutte contre la pollution atmosphérique.
As the world prepares to meet again for the annual international conference on climate change, this time in Durban from Nov. 28 to Dec. 9, a study released Wednesday by the United Nations Environment Programme brings both good and bad news.
The 55 scientists from 15 countries who produced the report, called Bridging the Emissions Gap, conclude that the world can still avoid the catastrophic effects of a temperature rise of 2 degrees C, with existing technology and without damaging the world economy.
A quicker-than-planned switch to renewable energy, improved energy efficiency and new fuels are all part of the solution, the report notes. Better public transportation, more fuel efficient vehicles and improvements to agriculture and waste management are also key.
Emissions from aviation and shipping, which currently fall outside the Kyoto Protocol emission reduction treaty because they are considered international emissions, could be cut by improving fuel efficiency, using low-carbon fuels and simply reducing ship speeds, the report says.
But the scientists also report that improved modelling from last year's assessment means the gap between what the world's governments have promised to do by 2020, and what they need to do is larger than previously thought. Read the full report here.
Source: by Michelle Lalonde, Gazette Environment Reporter, The Montreal Gazette.
