Getting the Fax Straight

New Canadian climate policy leaks out, is kinda leaky

Canada's Conservative government, known for consistently pooh-poohing the Kyoto Protocol, planned to unveil emissions-reduction targets today and urge participation in carbon markets, a la Kyoto. But the news got out early when a draft of the speech was accidentally faxed to the Liberal Party on Tuesday. So what's in store? Well, the country aims to cut emissions 20 percent from current levels by 2020, but that will still leave it 11 percent shy of its Kyoto obligations. Sigh. Other plans include a ban on sales of incandescent light bulbs by 2012 and an aim to halve air pollution by 2015. "We find ourselves today with one of the worst environmental records among industrialized countries. Now we need to turn things around," says Environment Minister John Baird. Said a Baird spokesperson of the fax fiasco, "I'm sure the Liberals got all excited when they read it, because they would have loved to have once written a speech this strong." Just put your regulations where your mouth is, dude.