Canada Worst G7 Member on Climate
Failing in its efforts to cut greenhouse gas emissions linked to global warming, Canada reportedly is the worst performer in the Group of Seven.
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The Transocean Barents semi-submersible drill rig is pictured in the Flemish Pass, off the coast of Canada's Newfoundland and Labrador province
Canada's bids to cut greenhouse gas emissions linked to global warming have been met with failure, the country's environment commissioner said Thursday. Canada ranked last in terms of performance among fellow G7 member states, commissioner DeMarco added.
A series of reports by independent parliamentary watchdog Jerry DeMarco looked at decades of government climate action, which have yielded a 20% increase in emissions since 1990.
Canada "has become the worst performer of all G7 nations since the landmark Paris Agreement on climate change was adopted in 2015," environment commissioner Jerry DeMarco told a news conference.
"We can't continue to go from failure to failure; we need action and results, not just more targets and plans," he asserted.
DeMarco highlighted a government fund whose goal was helping the Canadian oil and gas sectors halve their CO2 emissions. Around 40 projects allowed companies to increase their production and, subsequently, their emissions.
12 government departments have been poorly reporting on sustainable development, DeMarco said. "They did not report results for almost half their actions."
Although Canada represents some 1.6% of global CO2 emissions, it is among the top 10 largest emitters globally and one of the highest emitters per capita.
Canada is also the world's fourth-largest oil producer and exporter, and its energy regulator projects that, while domestic consumption declines, its fossil fuel production will grow because of exports.
