In historic rejection of Climate Change Plan A, Canada's Conservative government pulls out of Kyoto

By Tim Montgomerie
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Cameron may have said "no" to Europe. Canada's Conservative Government has said "no" to the world.

The Canadian Environment Minister Peter Kent yesterday pulled his country out of the Kyoto Treaty. In this short statement he said that he wasn't willing to impose massive costs on his country's economy while other nations continued to increase emissions:

"A previous Liberal government signed on to Kyoto in 1997 with no intention of ever meeting targets – then did nothing for years – Canada was lagging well behind by 2006.

While our government has taken action since 2006 to make real reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, under Kyoto Canada is facing radical and irresponsible choices if we are to avoid punishing multibillion-dollar payments.

To meet the targets under Kyoto for 2012 would be the equivalent of:

Either removing every car, truck, ATV, tractor, ambulance, police car and vehicle of every kind from Canadian roads.

Or, closing down the entire farming and agricultural sector and cutting heat to every home, office, hospital, factory and building in Canada.

The cost of not taking this type of radical and irresponsible action?

The loss of thousands of jobs or the transfer of $14 billion from Canadian taxpayers to other countries — the equivalent of $1,600 from every Canadian family — with no impact on emissions or the environment.

That’s the Kyoto cost to Canadians.

And here’s the kicker: global emissions would keep rising because Kyoto doesn’t cover the major emitters, like the United States and China, which is why Kyoto doesn’t work.

As we have said, Kyoto — for Canada — is in the past. As such, we are invoking our legal right to formally withdraw from Kyoto."

Watch Mr Kent.

Climate change realism is now a defining feature of conservative parties in Canada, Australia and the USA. We know that realism is shared by most British Tory MPs. The good news is that it is also now shared by George Osborne.