Canada s environment commissioner on Thursday urged the right-wing government to set firm targets to cut emissions of greenhouse gases, despite its dislike of the Kyoto protocol on climate change . The annual report by Johanne Gelinas, who reports to Parliament, could be awkward for a minority Conservative administration which says Canada has no chance of meeting its Kyoto targets for emissions cuts.

"The government urgently needs a believable, clear and realistic plan to significantly reduce greenhouse gases. It must establish and commit to short- and long-term national goals," Gelinas wrote. "The current government has announced that Canada cannot realistically meet its Kyoto target. If so, then new targets should take its place," she added, urging the government to first slow the rate of emissions and then cut them.

Kyoto obliges Canada to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 6 percent from 1990 levels by 2012. Current emissions are some 35 percent above the target.

Gelinas said that as temperatures rose, Canadians could expect to see:
* the spread of pests and diseases
* drought in the prairies
* melting permafrost and damaged infrastructure in the giant Arctic region
* rising sea levels and more intense storms on the coasts
* more days of extreme heat and smog in cities
"The implications are profound. Experts say we need to act quickly and effectively. I believe this is the prudent thing to do," she said. The Conservatives, who won the Jan. 23 election after more than 12 years of Liberal rule, are next month due to unveil an environmental package that focuses on improving air quality but will say little about global warming.

The quandary for Prime Minister Stephen Harper is that polls show most Canadians back the Kyoto treaty. This is particularly true in the powerful French-speaking province of Quebec, where Harper needs to increase support if he is to stand any chance of winning a majority in the next election. The Conservatives must balance this with the need to please the party s power base in the oil-rich western province of Alberta, where emissions are rising sharply as the regions tar sands are developed.

The energy and oil sectors are unlikely to take kindly to any move by the government to cut emissions, as Gelinas is demanding. "We ll look at climate change, we ll look at pollution and well look at what we can do on the environment that will improve the health of all Canadians," Treasury Secretary John Baird told reporters when asked for his response.

He aimed more of his fire at the Liberals, who Gelinas castigated for announcing C$6 billion (US$5.4 billion) worth of initiatives to combat climate change since 1997 without achieving much, in part due to inept management. "Ever-shifting responsibilities between federal departments and ministers, turnover of key personnel and changes from plan to plan have caused delays and loss of momentum." she wrote. "The governments weak handling of many transitions that took place over the history of this file has hampered progress."
(Por David Ljunggren, Planet Ark, 02/10/2006)