G8 leaders to avoid setting hard emissions targets...
Developed nations "we won't do anything until the developing nations do something about climate change"
Developing nations "we won't do anything until the developed nations do something about climate change"
I find that the G8 are not going to always agree on some issue's, but when it comes to environmental issue's, they just don't agree on anything.
I find President Bush's comments about climate change and the environment are very wishy washy, however he does make a very strong valid point about countries like China and India.
Here are the worlds two largest countries by populations and with their emerging markets, they are quickly becoming the worlds largest polluters all due to their lack of environmental laws.
In fact, pollution is so bad in Beijing and the surrounding area, that the Chinese government is not allowing privately own cars to run (unless permitted by the government)and industry is being shut down, all because the air is so polluted, that no athlete could perform under those conditions.
Sure, the west are big polluters, however we are working on doing something about it, however these two nations are doing absolutely nothing about it and the whole world is letting them get away with it.
Canada does it's fair share of polluting, but we are nothing compared to these two countries that have over 2.5billion people between the two of them.
Fair is fair, these two nations must be part of the solution, bring them into the G8 to make it a G10.
"Principle of equity",the common sense approach,is mandatory for all sides to come on board.Unfortunately the players that espouse a socialist agenda are not interested in coming to a realistic solution.
It seems these leaders have pollution confused with air pollution.
If we try to eliminate carbon dioxide then we take away the very thing our trees and plants need in order to provide us with oxygen to live. The focus on trying to eliminate co2 seems totally counter productive to what we need as humans in order to breathe.
climate change? are we not done beating this dead horse yet? I bet Bono wishes he had chosen the 'climate change' item off the 'celebrity smorgasbord of token charities' instead.
Give me a break. What was the world doing for 28 years supporting Robert Mugabe?
Harper does not have to go to Japan for the G8 summit to talk on Mugabe. How about reduction of green house gas that's why you are in Japan. Now your pet project is Mugabe. Please do not fool the Canadians!
Canada must do more on climate change, it must set an example to the rest of the world. It must stay on the same course as France, UK, and Germany in tacking the climate change issues.
Bush Jrs only goal, shift focus away from climate change.
This situation is one that can only be successful if "ALL NATIONS" sign onto a comprehensive policy to reduce gas emissions.
The G-8, & the United Nations, can achieve nothing for the world, unless the major pollutors India and China commit honestly.
We all know what kind of committment will come from these two blooming Industrial Giants.
Each Nationa can only commit for itself and do what it can but together all our efforts will be stiffled by the Non Action of India and China.
Lets focus on world poverty and global starvation ~ here we have a chance to do some good.
All countries need to cooperate in order to tackle the GHG problem. The only way this is possible is if the industrialized world sits down with the developing world and comes to a consensus on how much we all must sacrifice. Implementing a join, simultaneous plan is the only way to effectively prevent the dramatic increase in emissions the scientists are so worried about. One could play politics with this issue and say “rich countries created the problem”, which is true, but will not change the fact that China and India alone will be trumping the West in terms of carbon output by the next century if the trend continues. Diplomacy, sanctions, whatever it takes to get the ball rolling to get India and China on board.
Our solution to these crises globally is simple enough, but no country will deal with it....What really is needed is population control, plain and simple...This planet CANNOT process the overall waste humans are creating in their wake! That is the reality we find ourselves in as humans and unless we manage human population growth this will only get worst.This planet is almost at it's breaking point!
Let's all face the truth about the G8. It is a vacation for the largest countries leaders on the taxpayers dollar.
Industrialized nations must be LEADERS on climate change . Only after that, they can demand China, Brazil and India to clean up their act.
Canada is missing the boat on Green energy and trade. Instead of subsidizing the tar sands, we should be subsidizing green technology, so that we can export it to countries like China in the near future. Germany, for example, is ahead of the game and will have a big share of the green energy pie when most of the world will want to buy green innovation from them.
Stephen Harper has to go, it is clear his interest is well attached to the interests of Alberta's oil companies and he will do NOTHING about climate change for as long as he is in charge...and I voted for him! What a mistake.
This is leadership people. Mr. Harper is taking a principled stand on both Zimbabwe and "climate change". Mugabe is a bloodthirsty tyrant who needs to go and anything that world leaders can do to hasten his departure is welcome. On "climate change", Harper is absooutely correct. There is no point in Canada or any other G8 country taking a wrecking ball to our economy in order to reduce GHG emmissions unless the rest of the world is doing the same thing. Even if Canada eliminated 100% of GHG emmissions, it wouldn't make so much as a lick of difference. In fact, it would be negated by just a few of the 450 or so coal fired plants that China is now building. Unfortunately the socialists have hijacked the debate and it's now more about social engineering and wealth transfer than it is about the environment.
The issue is repetitive and it's NOT UP TO THE DEVELOPING COUNTRIES TO GET ENVOLVED IF THE G8 WANTS TO BE AN EXCLUSIVE CLUB MEMBERS. The developing countries are NOT obligated to do anything under the policy that was drafted by the G8 who puts themselves in charge so let the G8 dela with these problems rather than placing blames on countries that they fear of doing better than the G8 itself. If the G8 wants to make progress than the best solution is to let new members in and this the weight is distributed evenly, althought the SO CALLED developed nations are to take the blunt of the blame since it produced and caused alot of the problems.
You can't blame others for your problems when you want to take on the task in the first place. Take responsibitiy for your own actions and grow up! That means our country CANADA who is trying to shift blame while our PM is all about talks rather than plans of actions that enforces the law to punish corporations back home. Start with Canada and the rest of the world might just start listening with deaf ears.
Ready the comments here so far It's a sad reflection on how Canadians have little knowledge of world issues and their own future well being albeit in their own selfish way they seem to think their number one issue is global warming.
Skyrocketing energy prices which are in turn creating inflation, unemployment, food shortages and potential world turmoil including war down the road is 1000% more pressing than the overblown GW threat.
In the meantime I prefer Stphen Harper as my leader thank you very much.
The Mugabe mess is a direct product of the West-hating left.
Socialists were only too ready to embrace him when he put the boots to white Rhodesians. In retrospect, the latter seriously erred by not introducing a local democratic system, but none of their failures compare with the murderous behaviour of the racist Mugabe regime.
Add yet another one to the left's list of grotesque failures.
There is confusion about climate change. Environazis call it global warming and with the UN?EU as players, say MAN is the cause.
It seems that we are working witin a 'Tower of Babel", each group pushing their own agendas.
What is clear is that all of MAN's responses so far have had little or no desired impact, but collateral damages (food prices etc) have been significant.
It seems as if one agenda that is appearing is that of 'change'. Some people are just not happy and are demanding change. If they succeed and we realize 'change' just for the sake of 'change' then we should also be prepared for the unforseen, unintended consequences which probably will be intolerable.
THINK through all the global warming rhetoric. It is part of the 'Babel'.
531111: Personally I don't want anymore of my tax dollars wasted on countries that can't or won't help themselves. I don't care if it's Africa or Afganistan. Enough already, let's take care of our own first.On climate change policy that is an easy one. We know India and China won't do one dam thing to stop this nightmare so we stop it for them. What you do is put so much carbon taxes on the products made there as import duties that it isn't worth it for them to make it. No demand, no products being produced. Now about all these coal fired electric plants some one above was mentioning, quit selling them coal from NA and Europe. No coal, no need to pollute. By doing this, the other countries of the world can force them to either clean it up or suffer.
China and India, continue to burn fossil fuels like coal and just dump into the atmosphere, however there are certain people here, who believe that Canada, the US and other G8 countries are the worst offenders.
Come on people, 2.5 billion people still burning coal and pumping it into the atmosphere like you and I expell air from ourlungs are the absolute worst.
They continue to dump dioxins into rivers, lakes and streams, killing all that inhabits those water systems.
They continue to pump garbage and more polluntants into the oceans and then to make things worse, they fish out of those same waters, send their products over here and we eat it.
Start looking at the big picture and you'll start seeing the whole story.
You are all to busy being brain washed by the western media so badly, that you think that we here in the west are all the troubles on our planet we call earth.
Forget G8, forget Kyoto, lets just do our own thing.
Harper wants Cap and Trade; Dion wants a carbon Tax. Lets just do both, and in the meantime do the R&D necessary to produce zero emissions vehicles, and build lots of nuclear power stations so we can close down coal- oil- and gas-fired units.
We should then be well ahead of any targets, and be able to righteously point fingers.
Well it is me again.. I wasn't going to comment on this article because it seemed logical and true but after reading some of these comments... wow! some people are just so very cynical.. Of course we have to restrain Mugabe.. just like Hitler and Saddam Hussein. What good is clean air to people who are being bludgened to death for doing nothing wrong.. just for being a human? ... Clean up Zimbabwe, and then clean up the green house gasses... or do both..! but I say YAY! for Stephen Harper.. our best leader in years!
China and India, continue to burn fossil fuels like coal and just dump into the atmosphere, however there are certain people here, who believe that Canada, the US and other G8 countries are the worst offenders.....
I think you are the rest of the world is forgetting or blinded by the real issue here.
The G8 group has committed themselves into being leaders and sealed themselves into being rightous which they wrote the policies for themselves within the club.
China & India is not a member and is considered developing countries so it does not effect ehem and they are NOT OBLIGATED to do anything, China has taken on more than what it is suppose or not to do for the environment even without being a member.
The West so called Industrialized countries cause many problems before China or India before their developing steps. Lets not forget that the G8 is a exclusive club which are bounded by their own stupidity by writing policies that reflects on what they do within and now they want out and want to shift blames.
Fix it and STOP preaching old thoughts. If the G8 wants China to help fight this cause than the club should be expanded to include them otherwise, the G8 can take the blame for it's mess!
Sorry RogerT but WE put China and India on their way to prosperity. We call it the global economy. By opening our borders and free trade our once homegrown manufacturers have moved to those countries because WE wanted cheaper goods. WE have shared our wealth with them so THEY could prosper. OUR pollution is now created overthere. It is for OUR leaders to put pressure on them to start cleaning up too. Otherwise we will eventually collapse economically, they will continue growing, we will start hurting mother nature on OUR own soil (See "No Clue" post above) to a point where THEY might eventually make US manufacture cheap goods for THEM to consume...And on it goes.
With prosperity comes responsability and that includes protecting the environment.
Let them get prosperous enough...THEY will eventually demand cleaner air and more regulations and better wages and all the good stuff a prosperous nation can be towards mother earth like we are currently.
Destroying our economy is not a solution. Free enterprise is still the best driver. Not governments or Al gore who have their own agendas other than AGW.
The UN and the G8 should have sent the message to countries abusing human rights and under the rule of dictators that aid would be curtailed. We have seen billions of dollars (food and money) sent to countries, a lot of it never getting to the people who need it, most of it going into the black market and into the hands of revolutionaries, and the UN has done nothing to promote democracy in those countries. More must be done to fight dictatorships.
Harper should of pushed this talk at least a couple of G8 summits ago. Even better, why wait for a G8 summit? Mugabe has turned a decent economy of Zimbabwe into a disaster and Harper and his G8 buddies have done nothing but maybe some useless sanctions. What happen to this talk he announced about going into countries where the government has clearly ignored it's people?
Mr. Harper has so much class, strength and public ability - I sure hope that he gets a majority vote next time.
He is a strong leader with a good and intelligent head on his shoulders!
We have given a lot to Africans for generations now. Now there's yet another tyrannical leader in power whom the African Union embraced at their recent summit. Isn't it about time we only start helping out the African people when they begin to help themselves? Sending food & medicine to the average peoples will do nothing in changing the attitude and mentality of the ruling bodies (government) who actually control law, order, & education. In fact, tyrants must love it when foreign nations take care of their people while they do as they please...
Congratulations to Harper for always sending the not-always-nice-but-necessary "blunt" messages.
P.S. It's sad that this article focuses on Africa yet a majority of the comments still go on & on about the politically-driven-global-warming-theory. The history books will look back on this era and wonder, how did everyone get so lost in one issue flagshipped by an ex-president's biography/documentary film when everything else--more fundamental--was falling down around them??...
If you think 9 BILLION people by mid-century can live like those in the "G8", you're dreaming.
Sorry RogerT but WE put China and India on their way to prosperity. We call it the global economy. By opening our borders and free trade our once homegrown manufacturers have moved to those countries because WE wanted cheaper goods. WE have shared our wealth with them so THEY could prosper....
Sorry for what. If YOU read my posting more carefully you'll notice that I did say that China is contributing EVEN THOUGH THEY ARE NOT MEMBERS OF THE G8, they do not need to but have put themselves to do so and is in the works of mapping out thier environment future.
People aren't using their brains to compare. You can't compare total amount of pollution between countries. Per capita is much a realistic way to compare. It's like duhhh, a bigger company is easier to make a bigger income compared to a small company, but it does not mean the bigger company has a better return on investment.
NB, how exactly are we subsidizing the oil sands? They are paying their own way thank you, unlike say, the auto industry in Ontario. How is the planet ahead by shutting down a steel factory in Hamilton so another one can open up in China?
One thing is for sure, if Dion forms a government & implements his Green Shaft Tax many IT Managers in Calgary will be unemployed.
Why do we continue to allow our politicians to continue with these games? Global warming, green house gases etc. are all caused by air pollution. I think the entire world should be able to agree that we want less air pollution. The benefits of less air pollution are good for everyone. so when are we going to encourage the development and usage of technologies that will accomplish this. Are we instead going to allow our politicians to point fingers and do nothing? Or worse yet, wait for developing countries to lead the way?
Developing countries do not lead the way. That is why they are "developing".
It is ridiculous to read the partisan comments in here which are only a diversion from dealing with reality - in a real way.
All our politicians should be ashamed and embarrassed. It is all about messaging and not about substance or action.
"MartinofNS" should not be so naive as to think the common sense approach is something we can expect from any leaders on this globe.
Here,I expect more from our Conservative government in the form of regulation,and law that changes the way we produce and use energy.
And, while I would not expect the so called developing nations to shut down their sources of "dirty" energy, I am still appalled that they are building their societies on the continued use of fossil fuels.
We should be taking biggers steps. But it's worth remembering that Canada still produces less tha 2% of the global GHG's.And,that Canada's economy is neither large enough or influential enough to "lead the world" on this issue.We can,and must maintain our economy to pay for the very expensive changes we will all need to make.
It should also be remembered that our resource exports,which include oil and coal,are the only industries we have that are creating the wealth that we need to build clean energy sources that are a net cost to Canadians.They ARE NOT something that creates wealth.
For those who think our research will be something we can profit from by exporting the technology,I would say you are dreaming in technicolour.The WHOLE WORLD has the same knowledge base that we now possess.If the technology was available in sufficent quantity at a reasonable cost,every country would be moving on it right now.
One major problem is that both side of this debate have issued an "all or nothing" position.Not at all reasonable or pragmatic.
I don't like Mr.Harper or his government very much.I don't know which I fear the most,him having a majority,or having the Liberals back in power.
I wish we could see more done on this,but regional differences are at play.Everyone in Ontario wants to shut down the revenue for oil producing provinces while they argue the money they are making is part of our solution.
I do not agree that more taxes in Canada will help.Market prices for oil have us scrambling for other options already.Pushing inflation and poverty on Canada,while we shovel billions of dollars towards other nations goes against the object of the exercise.To actually reduce GHG emissions.
We need alternate energy sources.Ontario should get off of coal fired electricity.Oil producers should use cleaner energy extract their oil.Hydro power should be promoted,and cars need to be upgraded.
But more taxes and more poverty at home is NOT the answer.Mr.Harper is right about that.But he is to slow with laws and regulations for our future use and production of energy.
Although,I concede that minority status and regional differences may be a formidable obstacle for ANY party in power to overcome.
It's all or nothing. Why should developed countries cut while developing countries continue to pollute and expand. No matter what anyone says economies will be hurt. Jobs will be lost.
Climate change assumes that our planet is a static planetary biomass which is a preposterous joke. The new religion is 'climate change,' easy to say, and spoken without any pretext of understanding about the complexities involved. Personally I am sick of the climated change issue, sick of having to pay a BC carbon tax to line the wallets of government lackies, sick of all these supposed 'green' alternatives that are usually ill-thought (corn ethanol = more expensive food duh). Time for Canadians to support R & D, because this is an opportunity to become a world leader in the science of energy efficiency. Efficiency is far more practical a goal than this nebulous concept of 'climate change.' So you green zeolots put away your banners and start thinking of REAL alternatives made here in Canada for Canadians.
China and India are not G8 countries and should not be held to summits that they are not part of.
The common denominator is comparing countries on a per capita level.
Even when you compare country to country. The worst two are the U.S. and China which makes stuff for us north americans.
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