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Kyoto Protocol: Canadians To Reduce Greenhouse Gas
(July 10, 2003)
Reducing air pollution won’t just improve personal health. It will also help our country meet its commitments promised in the Kyoto Accord. The Canadian government ratified the Accord in December 2002, promising to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases to six per cent below 1990 levels by 2010.
Greenhouse gases are pollutants that trap heat in the atmosphere. Without greenhouse gases the earth’s surface would be too cold to support the current diversity of life. Like anything, however, too much of a good thing is harmful. The current level of greenhouse gas in the atmosphere is trapping too much heat and that’s causing a significant rise in the earth’s temperature, which in turn causes extreme weather conditions. The most common greenhouse gas is carbon dioxide (CO2). It’s a byproduct of burning fossil fuels like gas, oil and coal.
Scientific studies have found that the level of greenhouse gas in the atmosphere has risen more rapidly than ever before over the last 100 years, and those gases are causing radical climate change.
According to the David Suzuki Foundation, Canada’s production of greenhouse gases has increased in the last decade, so Canadians must actually reduce their emissions by about 18 per cent to meet the Kyoto obligations.
The Foundation estimates Canadian individuals and industries produce a total of 700 megatonnes of greenhouse gas each year. Transportation is the single largest source (178 megatonnes). Non-energy sources such as agriculture, industry and waste management are next, followed by electrical utilities. Oil and gas production cause 119 megatonnes of greenhouse gas pollution annually, followed by industrial energy use and then residential and commercial buildings.
“According to the Greater Vancouver Regional District’s 2000 Emission Inventory, light duty vehicles are the largest contributor to our region’s greenhouse gases,” says AirCare CEO Martin Lay. “Individuals can make a big difference by the choices they make. Driving less, carpooling, taking transit and many other options will help up us to meet our obligations to the environment and make a clear difference in the air we breathe.”
Visit www.davidsuzuki.org for more information about the Kyoto Protocol.
For more information, contact:
Rashpal Rai
Public Relations
Envirotest Canada, contractor for AirCare
Rashpal.Rai@bc.etest.com
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