Canada, Out Of Kyoto, Must Still Cut Emissions, UN Says

* Canada pulls out a day after UN climate talks end

* Canada has legal obligation to reduce emissions-UN

(Adds reaction from Mexico and United States)

LONDON, Dec 13 (Reuters) - Canada still has a legal obligation under United Nations rules to cut its emissions despite the country's pullout from the Kyoto Protocol, the U.N. climate chief said on Tuesday.

Christiana Figueres also said the timing of Canada's move, a day after a deal to extend the protocol was clinched at a U.N. summit in South Africa, was regrettable and surprising.

Canada on Monday withdraw from Kyoto, dealing a symbolic blow to the treaty, with environment minister Peter Kent breaking the news just after his return from talks in Durban.

"Whether or not Canada is a party to the Kyoto Protocol, it has a legal obligation under the (U.N. framework on climate change) convention to reduce its emissions, and a moral obligation to itself and future generations to lead in the global effort," Figueres said.

Canada, a major energy producer which critics say is becoming a climate renegade, has long complained Kyoto is unworkable because it excludes so many significant emitters.

Industrialized countries whose emissions have risen significantly since 1990, like Canada, remain in a weaker position to call on developing countries to limit their emissions, Figueres said.

"I regret that Canada has announced it will withdraw and am surprised over its timing," Figueres said in a statement.

On Sunday, more than 190 countries agreed to extend Kyoto for at least five years and hammered out a new deal forcing all big polluters for the first time to limit greenhouse gas emissions.

Kyoto's first phase, due to expire at the end of next year but now extended until 2017, imposed limits only on developed countries, not emerging giants such as China and India. The United States never ratified it.

The Canadian government said it would be subject to penalties equivalent to C$14 billion ($13.6 billion) under the terms of the treaty for not cutting emissions by the required amount by 2012.

"DESPAIR"

China and Japan said on Tuesday that Canada's decision was regrettable and called on it to continue to abide by its commitments on climate change.

Closer to home, reactions were divided. Mexican Environment Minister Juan Rafael Elvira Quesada asked Kent to reconsider his decision, saying the withdrawal could create "despair" among countries.

"What the world needs now is to work on a system of global cooperation to meet the objectives that give a message of hope to humanity, especially those who are currently suffering the impacts of climate change," he said.

Todd Stern, the U.S. special climate envoy, said Canada's decision should have little impact on negotiations on a future pact that would include binding cuts on developed and developing countries.

"I don't think it's going to have a big impact on the shape of a new regime and the nature of the new negotiations," Stern told reporters on Tuesday.

Figueres said the Durban agreement to a second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol is essential "for the new push towards a universal, legal climate agreement in the near future". (Reporting by Nina Chestney; Additional reporting by Timothy Gardner and Valerie Volcovici in Washington , Editing by Alessandra Rizzo and Dale Hudson)

Comments

[Bullitt08]

05:44 PM on 12/19/2011

China and India must take the lead and reduce their emissions to pre-1990 levels first.

[CanadaStan]

01:01 PM on 12/16/2011

Reality, if anyone is interested:

http://taxpayer.com/federal/kyoto-good-riddance-bad-deal-canadians

"Had we failed to exercise our rights under the agreement to withdraw, Canadians would have been on the hook for somewhere between $14 billion and $19 billion – we would have been obliged to turn the money over to foreign governments to purchase “carbon credits” – costly licenses from the international community to produce carbon."

snip

"China also took Canada to task for pulling out of Kyoto, calling our decision “regrettable” and saying it goes against the efforts of the international community to reach a new deal on emissions.

That’s easy for China to say. Under the Kyoto agreement neither China nor India are obliged to reduce their carbon emissions at all. That’s the biggest reason the United States refused to ratify Kyoto and does not abide by the treaty. China’s emissions in 2009 amounted to 7.7 billion metric tons of greenhouse gases. Canada’s were 541 million.

Ironically, while China’s spokesman was blasting Canada over our decision to leave Kyoto, the City of Beijing was closing its freeways to traffic and their international airport was cancelling 233 domestic and 17 international flights. The smog was so thick it was unsafe to take off or land an aircraft, or to drive a car."

[maxwells]

04:24 PM on 12/21/2011

Another way to look at this issue is per capita emissions of CO2 equivalents in greenhouse gas emissions.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_carbon_dioxide_emissions_per_capita

metric-- tons, metric tons
-----------1990--------2008

China-----2.2-----------5.3

India-------0.8-----------1.4

Canada 16.2---------16.4

U.S.------19.1---------17.5

So, it looks like China and India are trying to industrialize; the U.S. has actually reduced its per capita GHG output, and Canada, well....not so great, even though it had signed Kyoto...for awhile.

[Slottsbacken]

02:58 PM on 12/15/2011

When we see the Canadian national government pulling out of the Kyoto treaty 2, a sudden urgency comes for the Mayors in Toronto, Calgary, Vancouver, Hamilton and Yellowknife to show leadership and how cities can reduce their impact on Climate Change. As far as I am concerned, national governments seem to have great difficulties to show commitment to needed carbon reduction initiatives. Mayors don’t - Read more at http://www.kajembren.com/david-suzukis-call-on-canada´s-pull-out-of-kyoto-ii/

[CanadaStan]

11:35 AM on 12/16/2011

How would the Kyoto treaty reduce C02 emissions?

I just love asking greens that because I know they will never be able to answer it!

[Counterintuitive]

01:01 PM on 12/19/2011

Kyoto reduces CO2 by obligating its participants to incentivize efficiency.

10 words is all it takes to answer your extremely simple question. Now, please allow the scientists to continue answering the complex questions.

[Richard2]

09:07 PM on 12/14/2011

"EU carbon prices fell to their lowest ever level on Wednesday as the euro currency and equities slid on renewed fears over the bloc's debt crisis and oil prices tanked after producers promised to maintain high output. "It's clear that Durban didn't help, and Canada's announcement of its Kyoto Protocol withdrawal tells you what little countries think about international agreements."

The ICE ECX December 2011 EUA contract fell 73 cents to an all-time low of 6.30 euros, down 10.4 percent on Tuesday's 7.03-euro settlement.

By 16.30 GMT, the contract had recovered slightly to 6.41 euros on healthy turnover of around 15 million units.

The drop sends the contract into unchartered territory, falling well below its previous low of 6.77 euros on December 6 as market traders saw few signs of respite in the EU economy to boost demand for emission permits."-reuters

"I still don't see any bottom to this market," said one carbon trader, who said any positive sentiment from this weekend's landmark U.N. climate summit in Durban was purely psychological as it brought no increase in demand for permits.

[netdr]

11:26 AM on 12/14/2011

Canada, Out Of Kyoto, Must Still Cut Emissions, UN Says

Welcome to the hotel Kyoto, you can check out anytime but you can never leave.

[lbsaltzman]

03:26 PM on 12/14/2011

And well you can't. The Kyoto accords are not perfect but every country in the world should be cutting emissions.

[netdr]

04:33 PM on 12/14/2011

I don't see any harm in CO2 emissions but you can delude yourself however you want.

[CanadaStan]

11:36 AM on 12/16/2011

And by not perfect, you mean it would increase C02 and real pollution, not reduce them.

[maxwells]

04:34 PM on 12/21/2011

netdr, I'd like to introduce you to Richard2, directly above: another fellow fossil fool shill. Maybe netdr isn't familiar with the Portland, Oregon based Cascade Policy Institute, but otherwise, given your nearly identically incessant daily posting histories that never comment on anything other than climate change, you two have a lot in common.

But notice that Richard2 is a lot cagier than you are: Didn't used to, but he now avoids flagrant lying. Maybe you should ask him why.

Readers, what am I talking about?

Click on these:

"Actually I am a college professor."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/netdr/farm-bill-climate-change-crop-insurance-subsidies_n_1146058_123792610.html

"I have a BSEE and have created computer models professionally for several years."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/netdr/farm-bill-climate-change-crop-insurance-subsidies_n_1146058_123797495.html

So, Publicola asks the obvious:

"What college do you teach at that allows people with just bachelors degrees to become professors?"

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/Publicola/farm-bill-climate-change-crop-insurance-subsidies_n_1146058_123811028.html

Yet, netdr can't lie about his comment history.

That is, who but a full-time, fossil fool SHILL would, or even could, post 1230 times on HuffPo in less than 8 weeks, and exclusively on just one topic - climate change?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/netdr?action=comments&display=all&sort=oldest

And netdr does all this, while handling a college teaching load, plus academic research. Amazing - amazingly flagrant lying.

[Robert Lee Harrington]

02:06 AM on 12/14/2011

It's a very odd feeling to look north and see a country even more irresponsible about climate change than the U.S.,"

Author and climate activist Bill McKibben

[lbsaltzman]

03:26 PM on 12/14/2011

It is indeed odd, Canada never used to be like this. I hope they succeed in dumping this irresponsible government they have.

[Robert Lee Harrington]

04:53 PM on 12/14/2011

I agree with you.

[CanadaStan]

11:37 AM on 12/16/2011

How would Kyoto reduce C02 emissions?

Isn't it about time someone thought about that?

[troothspeeks]

04:06 PM on 12/18/2011

GO CANADA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Robert Lee Harrington]

05:38 PM on 12/18/2011

Northern Gateway pipeline decision will be delayed until late 2013: panel Hearings to begin Jan. 10 in Kitimat

CALGARY — The joint review panel hearing submissions on the controversial Northern Gateway oil pipeline to the B.C. coast will take a year longer than expected to deliver its final report.

In a projected schedule released late Tuesday, the three-member panel said it “would anticipate releasing the environmental assessment report in the fall of 2013 and its final decision on the project around the end of 2013.”

That’s a year later than expected, confirmed Annie Roy, panel spokeswoman....

A coalition of aboriginal groups said last week it will create a human wall to prevent the pipeline from north of Edmonton to the B.C. coast from going ahead, and environmental groups have hinted at civil disobedience....

People in B.C. who would get minimal or no benefit are among those facing a huge risk if there were a disastrous pipeline leak or tanker spill, critics say.

The Haida First Nation in northern B.C., who are too far away from the pipeline to be considered by Enbridge as a potential equity partner in the project, are vehement opponents.

Like many First Nations, they’ve expressed fear of the potential danger of a tanker spill on key sectors like fisheries and ecotourism...

http://www.vancouversun.com/business/Northern+Gateway+pipeline+decision+will+delayed+until+late+2013+panel/5820686/story.html

[Richard2]

10:01 PM on 12/13/2011

On what authority does an employee of the United Nations claim that a soverign nation, Canada, must do anything related to the Kyoto Agreement, which was a voluntary agreement among soverign nations?

The U.N. employee appears to be daring Canada to perhaps go further, to reduce its funding to support U.N. climate organizations!

Gosh, the Canadian taxpayers will be hardly be upset to discover that their government has just saved them 14 billion dollars by dropping out of the voluntary Kyoto agreement.

[lbsaltzman]

03:27 PM on 12/14/2011

Canadian taxpayers should be enraged that the Harper government is destroying their future by refusing to deal with global warming. It will cost a lot more than 14 billion to ignore global warming.

[CanadaStan]

11:38 AM on 12/16/2011

How would the Kyoto treaty reduce pollution and C02?

Before we get all teary eyed, why not think that through?

[freerangevoter]

12:43 AM on 12/16/2011

The John Birch Society was right 30 years ago. We need to get out of the U.N.