Since we know we have “the best backyard in the world," it is fundamental to monitor what we do to sustain it over time. This is especially important when evaluating whether our country still works for all generations. Regrettably, there may be no greater evidence of an intergenerational breach than our ineffective efforts to reduce carbon emissions.
In 1976 Canada was one of the worst three Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development countries for per capita carbon dioxide emissions. According to data from the International Energy Association, on average, each Canadian produced nearly 17 tonnes of CO2 that year. Only citizens of the United States and Luxembourg emitted more proportionately.
Since then, we have learned a great deal about climate change, and the risks associated with even a two-degree increase in global temperatures — rising sea levels, extreme weather events, changes in rainfall patterns and all the risks to human life, settlements, infrastructure, hydro power, crop yields, etc.
This knowledge has not caused us to change our energy consumption. Canadians have failed to reduce our carbon dioxide emissions in over three decades. Not only do we remain among the worst fossil fuel dinosaurs internationally, the citizens of countries that already had smaller environmental footprints than we did in the 1970s have shrunk their footprints still further. Read the full report here.
Source: by Paul Kershaw, The Vancouver Sun.
