Canada's Lead Climate Negotiator Answers to You
Posted on 04. Jun, 2009 by Zoë Caron in Canada
You asked, he answered.
Michael Martin, Canada’s Ambassador for Climate Change and head UN negotiator here at the Bonn II climate talks, sat down with me as I asked the questions asked by you, the readers.
- Do you have a negotiating mandate for here in Bonn?
- How do you think the talks are going so far?
- How can Canada negotiate emission targets for the year 2020 when our federal targets won’t be phased in until 2012?
- Given China’s recent positive actions on climate change, is Canada now more willing to agree to the required science-based emission targets?
- Does Canada have a position yet on agreeing to avoid 2 degrees of average global warming, which is the projected temperature point at which irreversible changes largely occur?
- If you could ask 1000 Canadians to do one thing to be constructive and help you be effective in these negotiations, what would you suggest they do?
Note that the following are not direct quotes.
1. Do you have a negotiating mandate for here in Bonn?
Canada is here to push the discussion as far as possible towards agreeing on a legal form of the text we have in front of us. At the end of the day, we will need a political consensus. If the text is not complete – i.e. if it doesn’t include broad participation [developing countries and China] – then it will not pass the test. Canada has shown that we have a constructive willingness to work on the text.
2. How do you think the talks are going so far?
I don’t think they are going badly. Things are moving. Countries are talking.
3. How can Canada negotiate emission targets for the year 2020 when our federal targets won’t be phased in until 2012?
The process of implementing emission reductions in Canada is already underway. As announced, the government is putting forward regulating initiatives (all with different timings, of course) such as lower-emission requirements for cars, and those cars will be on the market by 2010. Other initiatives include the renewable fuel subsidy, etc. Many of these projects will come into play well before 2012.
4. Given China’s recent positive actions on climate change, is Canada now more willing to agree to the required science-based emission targets?
Canada agrees to the science-based emissions targets. That is not a question. The debate is burden sharing – how much Canada’s fair share of emission reduction is. This is a shared discussion of looking at the logical implications of different goals. China’s position is important, but our commitment is there anyways.
5. Does Canada have a position yet on agreeing to avoid 2 degrees of average global warming, which is the projected temperature point at which irreversible changes largely occur?
Canada has never stated its commitments in terms of degrees. However, it’s certainly clear that 2 degrees of warming is serious and might even be allowing us to go too far: We’ve seen legitimate proposals of suggesting 1.5 degrees of warming should be our limit. We get that, and Canada needs to be taking as much action as we can to respond to the science.
6. If you could ask 1000 Canadians to do one thing to be constructive and help you be effective in these negotiations, what would you suggest they do?
I am always open to receiving policy ideas and proposals. People can send me anything. I cannot comment on the political end of this – I am strictly policy and negotiations.
For more on Michael Martin and his role as Canada’s lead climate negotiator, check out this article in The Star.
Other than a ‘constructive willingness to work on the text’ I’m not detecting any discernible political mandate to negotiate in Bonn – other than a troubling insistence on ‘broad participation’ from developing countries.
The question still remaining is: “We hear so much about what commitments you require from others. What firm commitments are Canada bringing to the table?”
This is ideally directed at a minister of course.
Thanks for reflecting the meetings back home Zoe.
Thanks Adam – Have you written to Minister Prentice about this? It would be great to write to him with a specific reference to this conference. I think it is very helpful when citizens write letters to their ministers, and their Member of Parliament.
Here is the info:
Honourable Jim Prentice
Minister of the Environment
House of Commons
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0A6
You can find your Member of Parliament and their information here:
http://www2.parl.gc.ca/Parlinfo/Compilations/HouseOfCommons/MemberByPostalCode.aspx?Menu=HOC
Hi Zoe,
I just got your message from ‘adopt a negotiator’ and ended up here as I tried to get up to speed on what’s happening before I write to Jim Prentice.As someone who cares but needs more details, I found Mr. Martin’s answers to your questions devoid of any details at all.You asked great questions, he said nothing. If you have any links to sites that can fill me in on what’s happening, I’d be most grateful. Thanks!
Hi Beth,
The Climate Action Network provides a good amount of information on their website (See the news section, Road to Copenhagen, Update from Bonn):
http://www.climateactionnetwork.ca/e/
Asides from that site, I’ve tried to summarize the issues here as well:
http://adoptanegotiator.org/2009/06/19/canada-bonn-negotiations-wrap-up/
And finally, there really is not much happening, unfortunately. Canada is saying and doing very little. I’m not sure there is anyone with more information.
The only thing I could offer would be a set of 2008 briefing notes that were acquired via an Access to Information Request. Would you be interested in reading those?
Thanks,
Zoë
Hi Zoe,
Thank you for tracking Canada’s negotiators. It’s extremely disappointing that our government continues to point fingers at other countries while completely ignoring our own (failed) international commitments.
I look forward to following your work.
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Are you willing to bet that history will view the CO2 theory being valid and that threatening our children with climate death was worth it, as responsible parents, not to mention progressive civilized human beings?
I’m sorry but I can’t do this “end of the world” bit anymore without feeling like history is already laughing and cursing at me. Look your kids in the eyes please and you may rethink this environmental emergency and see this state of urgency and fear in true focus. I don’t think that supporting this CO2 theory is responsible anymore because I think don’t think that promising our kids a sick planet from CO2, for another quarter of a century is sustainable or morally accountable for another two and a half decades of predictions. And we all grapple with the confusing reality of colder temperatures yet more pictures of Polar Bears drowning and scientists saying that what we see is not what we really see.
Since precaution is the influencing force behind this 23 year old CO2 theory, I’m going to side with precaution and not let myself look anymore foolish than I feel right now as I’m telling our kids that we must save the planet for them. Simply put, I’ve waited long enough and a force strong enough to end “life as we know it-IPCC”, on the planet should have happened by now. Waiting any longer is as self fulfilling prophecy and I’m willing to bet against this theory officially as AL Gore and the political scientists and hysterical media fight it out in this media feeding frenzy. And who isn’t embarrassed by these silly headlines of global warming scientists saying CO2 will or may not be causing everything from racism to earthquakes.
Look at it this way, denying this CO2 business does not mean that you are now anti environment, it just means that we should do everything to preserve, protect and respect nature instead of trying to rescue planet Earth with needless fear from a CO2 mistake. Our air is in fact cleaner than the smoggy 70’s, a fact that all of the enviro groups admit. We just have to remove this failed CO2 threat. And at the same time we are being the NEW GREENS of environmentalism, we can still see the need for directing our energies to real issues like the carnage on our highways, poverty, recycling, energy alternatives and better health care, housing and financial opportunities for more people to achieve a higher living standard.
The NEW GREENS are not just deniers; we are the new leaders of Rachel Carson’s environmental movement who don’t want to be remembered for perpetrating this climate WMD scam concerning the obviously failed CO2 theory.
Resulting cooling disproves predicted warming. Preserve, protect and respect our worldly surroundings.