The federal government has announced a $6 million fund to help develop
evidence that forests and farmland absorb carbon out of the atmosphere
and can help Canada meet its international commitment to reduce
greenhouse gas.
Federal environment officials said Canada’s managed forests and
farmland can contribute a significant part of the nation’s promise to
reduce greenhouse gas emissions to six percent less than 1990 levels.
At recent international negotiations on the Kyoto Accord, Canada was
instrumental in winning recognition for the impact of carbon sinks to
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“We expect that these carbon sinks will account for 10 to 15 percent of
the effort needed by Canada to reach our Kyoto target,” environment
minister David Anderson said March 19 as his department announced the
$6 million grant to the Queens University-based Biocap Canada. Another
$4 million could be spent once the first three-year project is complete.
It remains to be determined how farmers would be compensated for taking
the soil management, manure control and cropping decisions needed to
make farmland more of a sink than a source of carbon emissions.
Meanwhile, the bitter political debate continued in the House of
Commons over whether Canada should ratify the Kyoto Accord in light of
the United States decision not to. The Canadian business lobby argues
it could cost the economy tens of billions of dollars and tens of
thousands of jobs. The oil industry and the Alberta government have
been leading the political charge against ratification.
In the House of Commons, Canadian Alliance environment critic Bob Mills
of Red Deer said there is no proof global warming is the result of
greenhouse gas emission or that the Kyoto Accord would help. The
Alliance is certain it would hurt and should not be approved.
“Money wasted on Kyoto is money that cannot be spent on valuable
adaptation measures,” Mills argued during an opposition-inspired debate
to condemn Kyoto. “Adopting policies that would force up the cost of
energy for farmers will not help them with strategies to deal with
their water shortage.”
Environment minister Anderson rejected Alliance criticisms and said
that after consultations with provinces and industry, Canada must agree
to begin the process of reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
The Alliance thinks Kyoto will not help the environment, Anderson
complained.
“That is rubbish,” he said. “It is an international agreement involving
179 countries. It is the first step in the process of reversing a trend
that has been taking place for the last 200 years. It is vital that we
start now.”
