Global warming laggards

Filed in archive risk on July 19, 2010

Behind the rhetoric of addressing climate change, governments are reducing their commitments to fixing the problem. Getting through the global financial crisis now seems to be the main priority.

Canada, for example, has slashed its official emission reduction targets for 2010 by more than 90%. At the same time, Canada has announced it will invest $400 million to help developing nations reduce their emissions. As long as the Canadians don't have to do it themselves.

Add to that the reports we now have of China actually increasing its CO2 emissions by 9%. China is now the world's biggest producer of greenhouse gases after the United States. Curiously, Australia has told China to start reducing its greenhouse gases. That's pretty rich coming from a country like Australia when the Gillard Government does not have a scheme in place to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

With that gaping chasm between rhetoric and action, the climate crisis will continue to get worse.