Canada Falls Short on Climate Commitment

WASHINGTON (May 15, 2015) – With its climate pledge today, Canada secured its place as a laggard in the international effort to fight climate change.

Danielle Droitsch, Canada project director at the Natural Resources Defense Council, issued the following statement in response:

“Canada’s climate target is less-than-meets-the-eye and another disappointing sign of its reluctance to fight climate change. Yet again, Canada blithely ignores addressing its largest source of climate pollution—its tar sands oil development. President Obama has one more reason to reject the Keystone XL tar sands oil pipeline, which would be a disaster for the climate and is not in America’s national interest.”

The government of Canada announced a climate target that is significantly weaker than the commitment made by the United States. It also falls short of the trajectory needed to fulfill a 2009 commitment by Prime Minister Harper that Canada would cut its climate pollution 80 percent by 2050. Further, Canada is likely to miss its 2020 climate target, according to official Canadian government projections.

 

 

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