Canada: a winner on the World Stage!

Really, Rest-of-the-planet, this is making us blush.  More awards!  We’ve been cleaning up yearly on these notable commendations, and we are humbled that you notice our global contributions.

Once more, Canada takes the lead and holds it at the international Climate Talks.

As I write this, Canada has so far earned itself two first place, two second, and one third place medal including an impressive sweep on Day 1 in Durban. Canada is expected to win its 5th consecutive Fossil of the Year.

What made us shine:

1.  Canada said it will not entertain a second commitment period for Kyoto and may even  formally withdraw from Kyoto, the first country to withdraw.

Outstanding!  A precedent setting move!  And if Canada withdraws, not only will it be working against global cooperation on climate change, it will no longer have to post its emissions as per the agreement.  The CONs can then make up their own stats like they do with crime, the economy, and unemployment.

2.  Canada insulted all developing countries with this statement from Kent:

Emerging and developing countries need to stop “wielding the historical guilty card” and asking for a free pass on emissions reductions just because in the past, industrialized countries had more emissions than the rest of the world. 

So Kent and CONsorts think it’s just perfectly fine for industrialized countries to damage the entire planet while taking most of the profits.  So fine, in fact, that those advantaged countries should not be held accountable for the damage they cause to vulnerable countries.

CONs don’t understand responsibility and accountability as displayed by Kent’s belief that creating an emergency fund for poorer countries devastated by climate change amounts to guilty reaction, not owning up to damages caused by our actions or even shared responsibility for the fate of our species.

3. Kent, displaying an ignorance of sematics:  There is an urgency to this. We don’t need a binding convention, what we need is action and a mandate to work on an eventual binding convention.

WTF???!!!

So we don’t need a binding convention, but urgent action is needed to work on a binding convention.  Okay.

4.  Third place award for blinding ignorance:

“The 'informed' and 'survival-driven' award Canada with a 3rd place Fossil of the Day...Kent  stated...that the fossils awarded to Canada this week came from the 'uninformed' and the 'ideologically driven'.       

So the Minister of Tar sands who can’t grasp the role the ozone layer plays in absorbing the sun’s damaging rays celebrates his ignorance at a global event.

This pride for being a moron isn’t exclusive to Kent:

Embracing and Praising Failure and Ignorance -

When Canada’s fossils were announced in the House of Commons, a round of applause broke out.

Among the conservatives.  Seriously.

Ms. Megan Leslie (Halifax, NDP):  I will give the Minister of the Environment kudos for one win that he has had on the environment file. For the third straight day, Canada received a fossil award as the country that has done the most to block progress on climate change.

Some hon. members: Hear, hear! (Applause from the CONsorts)

Ms. Megan Leslie: It is unbelievable that they are applauding that.

Well, not really that unbelievable from a party that elevates ignorance, insults specialists, paints academics as people worthy of derision, and claims Tim Horton “wisdom” is of greater value than any research done by highly trained, impartial scientists and public servants.  Not so surprising from a party that has members who think the planet is roughly 6,000 years old.

Canada is on track!

Wow!  So maybe there is something to this stay-the-course stuff.  Let’s see...

Oh...I see...

Canada is on track to dramatically miss its 2012 Kyoto target of cutting GHGs by 6 per cent below 1990 levels.

So what is Canada doing about this?

You know how some chicks only hang around with unattractive women thinking they will look better by contrast?  Or how the alcoholic asshole tries to get everyone else drunk thinking he won’t look so bad if everyone is acting like an asshole?

Canada has reportedly aligned itself with Russia and Japan to block the extension of the Kyoto Protocol beyond 2012...The move by the Harper government has sparked criticism from environmentalists and opposition politicians, who argue Canada is now holding back talks at a climate change conference in Cancun, Mexico.

Well, harper & co., you’re still an ugly chick, and you're still assholes.  And don’t think people haven’t noticed.

Canada won first, second, and third place in a 'Fossil of the Day' mock award ceremony in Cancun on Tuesday.  The awards were given by environmental groups to the country they believe has done the most to disrupt and undermine negotiations at the UN climate conference.

First place awarded for: killing the Climate Change Accountability Act.

Second place awarded for:  Federal efforts to gut climate change programs, including attacks on clean fuels policies in other countries, cuts to funding for Canada's climate science foundation, and the elimination of energy efficiency upgrades for homeowners.

Third place awarded for "the country making the least constructive contribution to the negotiations."

All this during the same couple of weeks that this comes out:

Climate change fans deep-burning fires in Alaska

Climate Change Could Cost 1 Million Lives A Year By 2030

Rise in flood claims tied to climate change

Now, over to our Minister of the Environment for some lies explanations:

Environment Minister John Baird said Sunday that U.S. regulations set to take effect on Jan. 2, 2011, simply wouldn’t work in Canada. “We just can’t because the permitting process with America . . . is so different than ours, we can’t have full-on harmonization like we can with auto (emissions’) standard,” he said.

Baird’s comments come despite the Harper government’s pledge to harmonize its regulation of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases with the United States.