Canadian challenge

In Canada, parliamentarian Clifford Lincoln has challenged his own Liberal Party government to show leadership on greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction in Kyoto. Canada had not yet adopted a position for the summit when Lincoln spoke at the Canadian Wind Energy Association conference in October. After the conference, prime minister Jean Chretien said Canada would largely support the US position at Kyoto, but would "do better." He hinted at a multi-billion dollar programme to fight global warming. Chretien is reportedly in favour of binding C02 limits and a trading system for emissions reduction credits. Environmentalist Robert Hornung of the Pembina Institute in Alberta warns that Canada is in serious trouble due to global warming. As a northern state it stands to "warm" far more than most other countries. He deplored the GHG policy vacuum in Ottawa.