Canada’s newly-named Minister of Environment and Climate Change Catherine McKenna says the time for denial of climate change is past.

Canada’s newly-named Minister of Environment and Climate Change Catherine McKenna says the time for denial of climate change is past.
Photo Credit: Justin Tang/Canadian Press

Minister calls for tough action on climate change

Canada’s new environment minister has blamed past governments for taking too little concrete action on climate change and she is asking the whole country to step up, reports Canadian Press. Catherine McKenna’s speech reaffirms the newly-elected Liberal government’s plan to break with the past and make climate change a priority.

The province of Ontario was the first jurisdiction in North America to shutter its coal-fired electricity plants.
The province of Ontario was the first jurisdiction in North America to shutter its coal-fired electricity plants. © Canadian Press file photo

About-face on climate for Canada

Canada has come to be seen as a laggard on this issue after both Liberal and Conservative governments have failed to meet the commitments made when it signed the Kyoto Protocol in 1997. Canada cut its own targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and failed to take steps to meet even those.

Now McKenna says the scientific evidence of global warming is beyond dispute and that it will take a concerted effort by all Canadians to combat climate change, reports the wire service. She adds the time for inaction and denial is past.

Blames governments ‘of all stripes’

The minister blames governments of her own party and the Conservatives for setting arbitrary targets without consulting other levels of government. McKenna made the comments to the Canada2020 policy conference ahead of a panel discussion on climate with the leaders of the provinces of Ontario and Quebec.

The new prime minister has vowed to meet with the heads of all provinces in order to formulate a federal policy on climate change.

Some provinces have acted

Several provinces have taken their own steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Ontario phased out coal-fired electricity plants. British Columbia has instituted a carbon tax and Quebec is participating in the cap-and-trade market.

To emphasize the importance of the issue, Canada’s new prime minister renamed the portfolio and calls McKenna Minister of Environment and Climate Change.

Categories: Environment & Animal Life, Internet, Science & Technology, Politics, Society
Tags: , , ,

Do you want to report an error or a typo? Click here!

For reasons beyond our control, and for an undetermined period of time, our comment section is now closed. However, our social networks remain open to your contributions.