As an agenda to stop global warming, the emerging Copenhagen Accord is, by any measure, thin gruel. But as a political document, it is at least a start, and a commitment to future international co-operation. Canada's unwillingness to do any work whatsoever was on full display at Copenhagen. The agenda for next year is busy; Canada's passivity must end.
U.S. President Barack Obama exaggerated when he called the Accord a "meaningful and unprecedented breakthrough." Because it lacks emissions reduction targets for developing countries, it is weak at its core. But the Accord does have two important elements. It includes a fund for developing countries of $30-billion (U.S.) for 2010-2012, and a commitment to find $100-billion a year by 2020. It also requires developing countries to reports on their emissions every two years. There are "voluntary mitigation pledges" made by developing countries: India says that by 2020, it will reduce emissions intensity by 20 to 25 per cent. But these pledges are toothless.
All of this forms the baseline for an eventual, legally binding treaty, something almost every country says is desirable. The debate has been sharpened; the developed world will need to pony up the requisite funds, and they will rightly insist that large and rapidly growing developing countries not only accurately measure and report their emissions, but move towards reducing them.
Even in the context of these meagre accomplishments, Canada has achieved little.
At home, Canada is not ready. The federal government's target, renewed in the Copenhagen Accord, to reduce emissions by 20 per cent in 2020 from 2006 levels strains credulity. Canada's plan to track American policy makes sense on many levels, given the integration of the two economies. But with growing fissures among the major provinces, Canada desperately needs a plan.
Canada is even less prepared in its dealings with other nations. The federal government seems unaware of the damage done to its reputation at Copenhagen. It failed to respond to repeated attacks on the oil sands. A chance to showcase the best Canadian energy technology was missed. As of the time of writing, it was dragging its feet on committing itself to a concrete amount for the initial $30-billion developing-world fund. Without a new sense of vigour, it will squander the chance to act as a broker at the next major meeting where climate change will be addressed: the June, 2010 G8/G20 summit, hosted by Canada.
To be sure, Canada is not the only country failing to meet its targets, and was not the only obstacle to a more meaningful deal in Copenhagen. But among developed countries, it stood alone in its apparent apathy.
The difference between American and Canadian leadership was clear in the press conferences its two leaders held last night. Mr. Obama hailed the deal, but communicated urgency, saying, "We have much further to go." Prime Minister Stephen Harper was defensive, and seemed glad to have simply endured the ordeal. As Canada prepares to host the G8 and G20 countries, it will need to do much more.