The Canadian Government, led by returning Environment Minister John Baird, has kicked of the UN climate talks in Cancun by winning an incredible first, second and third place Fossil of the Day awards! With three consecutive Colossal Fossil of the Year awards behind them, it seems this government is continuing its reckless approach to climate change in the hopes of setting even more fossil records. Canada won its first colossal fossil in Bali under the leadership of Minister Baird. The Fossil of the Day is an award voted on and given by over 400 leading international organizations to the country who has done the most to disrupt or undermine the UN climate talks.

Canada has been awarded the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place Fossil of the Day for the following reasons:

Canada wins third place for a spectacular year-long effort to regain its title of “colossal fossil” as the country making the least constructive contribution to the negotiations.
 
“Last January Canada backed off of a weak target to adopt an even weaker one, as part of the government’s plan to outsource climate policy to the United States. Canada’s plan to meet that target is, to put it nicely, still being written,” says Graham Saul of Climate Action Network Canada. “Furthermore, the person they’ve just put in charge as Environment Minister is John Baird; COP veterans might remember him as the solo holdout against science-based targets for developed countries at the end of Bali.”

In second place we have…Canada again. So we’ve already heard that Canada doesn’t have a plan to cut emissions. What it does have is a plan to cut a lot of other things, such as:

-the only major federal support program for renewable energy
-a program funding energy efficiency upgrades for homeowners
-funding for Canada’s climate science foundation
-climate change off of the G8 and G20 agendas when Canada played host this summer, and last but not least…
-clean fuels policies in other countries.

“Internal government documents released today reveal that Canada worked to “kill” a US federal clean fuels policy to protect its tar sands, working with allies like the Bush administration and Exxon”, says Steven Guilbeault of Equiterre. “With friends like that, who needs clean energy?”

Now, turning to our first place winner:

Some of you might think the US Senate wasn’t too helpful on climate change. But today’s fossil winner has a Senate that makes the US look good, and not just because these Senators aren’t elected.

“In Canada, Conservative Senators killed a progressive climate change bill without even bothering to debate it, leaving Canada without a science-based target or any domestic transparency program for the already weak 2020 target the government has brought to these talks,” says Patrick Bonin of AQLPA. “Only in Canada could you find such a fossil-worthy Senate.”

So Canada is starting off with a substantial lead, taking three prizes today. Killing progressive legislation, cancelling support for clean energy and failing to have any plan to meet its target all position Canada well for another two weeks of ignominy here in Cancun.”

Despite getting of on the wrong foot, we must remind the Canadian Government that there is still time! This is only day one of these negotiating sessions, still plenty of time to wipe the tar from their eyes and clean up their act!

FYI:

Fossil of the Day is presented daily in Cancun from a network of over 400 leading international non-governmental organizations following a vote to determine which country had done the most over the course of the day to delay, stall, and otherwise disrupt these negotiating sessions in Cancun in December.