A dire warning

Basically, we're doomed, and in more extreme ways than we thought, according to the IPCC's most recent climate change report released on Friday (Good Friday- a holiday).

The world faces increased hunger and water shortage that will causes the sea level to rise and flood Richmond and other low-lying areas of Canada and the world.

But the forecasts released to the public are only a fraction of the findings presented to the scientists and government officials who drafted the report, the most comprehensive and clear account of the effects of climate change to date.

The Agreement came after an all-night session during which key sections were deleted from the draft and scientists angrily confronted government negotiators who they feared were watering down their findings.

Watered down or not, the stark realities of climate change have now made it a moral, not just a political issue, according to Greenpeace. The group says we owe it to future generations to deal with climate change now.

In light of this report, and the fact that Ontario is facing a white Easter weekend, climate change is remaining a salient issue on potential voters' minds. Hopefully these phenomena will increase public pressure on the Harper government to enact climate change legislation.

Waiting for the climate situation to change

The second IPCC report will be handed down on Friday.

Perhaps the first step scientists need to take toward action on climate change is to stop releasing their findings on Fridays. Don't they know that's the worst time in the news cycle for optimum coverage?

While scientists struggle with PR, the Conservatives seem to know how to play the numbers in their strategy. They are unveiling new initiatives and strategies in advent to what some say is an imminent election. And they have the money to spend.

They're also rolling out new campaign tactics, answering the Liberals, who have resorted to attacks on YouTube, in a surprisingly clever way. (who knew Conservatives had a sense of humour?)

Are things looking up for the Tories even though they're ignoring the environment?

Climate change is still in the headlines and the weather around the country is wacky, with temperatures in Ontario fluctuating from 20 above to two below Celsius. And in Vancouver, the Weather Network calls for rain for the next week and a half (Oh sorry, that's normal in Vancouver).

Even General Electric is calling for harder emission caps targets. But the Tories have yet to release their promised carbon reduction plan.

Despite the wacky weather and lack of a plan, the Conservatives are well poised in the election environment. A recent Angus Reid poll put them at 39 per cent and the Liberals at only 22 per cent.

One solution for those who are still waiting for the climate situation to change is to sign the online petition to allow Elizabeth May, the Green Party leader, into the Federal election debates next time around.

Heated debates and melting ice

If the long term international consequences of climate change are not enough to propel the Canadian government into action, Michael Byers, a Political Science professor at UBC, hopes the potential loss of Canadian sovereignty in the arctic will.

Byers has travelled to the Canadian arctic to witness the melting sea ice, a by-product of climate change, and says the government needs to step up their action on climate change.

But John Baird is not listening to the public, academics, or fellow MPs.

The opposition parties slashed through the Conservatives' Clean Air Act this week. In the politically savvy move, the opposition parties gutted the Conservative bill and added strict targets that adhere to Canada's Kyoto obligations, leaving the Conservatives little choice but to watch the new bill pass.

Baird called the move a partisan effort to bring down the Conservatives in the same breath as slagging the Liberals.

“I think this is clearly more about politics than it is about serving the environment. We’ll take a period to look at the entirety of the damage that the Liberals have done and make a call in the future ... I can tell you I’m not happy.”

As the tensions over climate change rise on Parliament Hill, the country creeps closer to an election that is set to be focused on the environment. The hot tempers flaring in Ottawa right now are enough to melt the sea ice in the arctic alone.

Provinces go their own way

The Liberals beat out the autonomous Action democratique du Quebec and the third-placed separatist Parti Quebecois to secure a minority government after a tight three way race in Quebec.

Ironically, some pundits are attributing the Liberal win in part to Harper's loose commitment to federalism. The Conservative plan gives la belle province has the autonomy it has long called for, meaning that the need for parties that focus on the sovereignty issue has diminished.

Quebecers have seized the opportunity to elect a party that focuses on another issue close to their hearts -- the environment.

In Canada's greenest province, the Green party won a significant number of votes and finished second in a handful of ridings.

The success of the Parti Vert in Quebec, and the B.C. government's recent U-turn on the environment signal that the provinces are following through on the climate change issue while the federal government stagnates.

John Baird has promised to unveil mandatory emissions reductions by the end of the month. But March is almost over and we've yet to hear the plan from the Environment Minister.

Its starting to look like autonomous provincial efforts are the country's best hope for action on climate change.

An election environment

Baird is warning Canadian businesses against participating in carbon trading schemes, forbidding them to participate in the international trading system on their own.

The Liberals are accusing Baird of lying to the world about reversing his stance against international carbon trading regimes.

"Either this government is going to allow Canadian companies to trade in carbon credits or not," said Liberal Environment Critic David McGuinty. "In Canada Mr. Baird says international markets don't work, but in Europe he says we're considering participating in them. What's the truth? "

It seems ironic that the Environment Minister is warning against a green initiative. Is it possible that he is trying to garner the affections of pro-business, anti-Kyoto voters in advent of an election?

According to a new poll published in the Globe and Mail, the Conservatives are heading toward a majority in the next election, sitting eight points ahead of the Liberals.

While a majority of Canadians say they would vote for the new Conservative budget, the NDP and the Liberals say they will vote against it, which means the budget could fall and an election might soon be called.

But the Conservatives' brokerage approach to climate change (appealing to environmentalists by promising action and the pro-business, oil and gas voters by not committing to environmental regulations) has been successful given that 39 per cent of Canadians support the Tories.

Federal budget lacks green flesh

The Conservatives doled out $4.5 million in environmental spending yesterday in their highly anticipated budget announcement.

The budget made no reference to Kyoto, despite the Tories' formal agreement to honour its obligations in the House last month.

But it made at least some progressive steps toward reducing Canada's greenhouse gas emissions, including:

- up to $2,000 for buying fuel-efficient vehicles
- a levy of up to $4,000 on gas-guzzlers
- $36 million to get old and inefficient cars off the road
- $2 billion over seven years to aid in the production of renewable fuels including ethanol and biodiesel
- $250 million to conserve ecologically important lands
- $417 million for a clean water strategy

But for many environmentalists and opposition critics the budget was another example of the Tories' continued political maneuvering to sidestep putting meaningful, long-term, pro-active solutions in place to fight climate change.

The environment is a central to whether the budget will pass in the House. If it fails there will be another election.

But the Conservatives are positioned well in the polls. And the high spending in this year's budget indicates their desire to appease as many potential voters as possible.

If I was skeptical about the Conservatives' intentions, I would probably conclude that they are poised for an election -- one that is set to be focused on the environment.

The greenest day of the year

People around the world celebrated "greenness" in various ways this weekend.

While St.Patrick's day enthusiasts drank green beer, John Baird met with international environment ministers at a climate change conference in Germany.

Baird dismissed a green plan put forward by Liberal leader Stephane Dion on Friday and promised a tough new climate change plan by the end of the month.

"I think that the kind of initiatives that Canada will roll out are going to be among the toughest in the world for the next five years," Baird said in a teleconference from Potsdam, Germany.

Despite the Canadian government's refusal to participate in an international carbon trading scheme, its inaction was not considered the biggest threat to the global environment by the conference's attendees.

Instead, a consensus emerged among the G8 countries that the U.S. was to blame for not taking up it role as global leader on the climate change issue and the Conservatives can celebrate upholding their green facade.

The greening international environment

Today, Stephen Harper doled out another $200 million to B.C. as part of his EcoTrust fund, which allows each province to invest in green research and technologies.

While Harper is happy giving out the green at home, this weekend his commitment to going green will be tested internationally when John Baird joins Environment Ministers from around the world at a G8 climate change conference in Germany.

Last week, European countries proposed bold new measures to combat climate change, including a binding target for renewable sources to make up a fifth of EU energy use by 2020.

The much greener European nations are set to ask Canada to join the international carbon market, in which companies buy carbon credits when they exceed their emission targets.

Canadian environmentalists hope that the government will use this conference to prove that by ousting Rona Ambrose and replacing her with Baird, the Canadian government is ready to lead the world on the climate change issue again.

But yesterday Eric Richer, a spokesman for Mr. Baird, suggested the Conservatives will remain firm on their stance against joining the international carbon market.

And the EU is intent on inheriting the role of leader, according to European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso.

"We can say to the rest of the world, Europe is taking the lead. You should join us fighting climate change," he told reporters.

Striking the green balance

Last week Liberal leader Stephane Dion embarked on his green tour of Canada and now Stephen Harper is following suit.

His tour ended in the oil rich province of Alberta where he announced he was doling out $156-million to the Alberta government to explore business-friendly ways to deal with greenhouse gas emissions.

He earmarked part of the money to explore carbon capture techniques, which sounds promising, but the exploration sidesteps the need for industries to take concrete measures to reduce emissions.

Most plans for carbon sequestration involve liquefying the gas and pumping it underground, which is an energy intensive procedure. While this technique is possible, many experts see it as prohibitively expensive because gases like carbon dioxide are difficult to store.

"All Canadians are looking for a balance between economic growth and environmental protection," said Mr. Harper. "Finding that balance is a fundamental challenge of our times."

But Harper's plan may carry the unintended consequence of irking both sides of the Kyoto debate because it doesn't actually reduce greenhouse emissions and the money could be wasted if the committee finds that the costs of carbon capture outweigh the benefits.

The money is part of $1.5-billion EcoTrust for Clean Air and Climate Change fund, but it will be handed out only if the federal budget, which is being tabled on March 19, passes.

Meanwhile, the Hill-Times speculated that the budget, and Harper's minority government, will fall, and a new election could be called for as early as May.

Corps go green?

A group of corporate bigwigs announced they are going green yesterday in an attempt to shape Canada's environmental policy.

They want to look at solutions beyond carbon trading systems and carbon taxes in order to focus on short term steps that will not cut into their profit margins.

But this might be the corporate attempt at a green facade in advent of Environment Minister John Baird's expected announcement of so-called soft caps on emissions for industries later this month.

Baird will consult with industry execs to offer them an array of options on how they want to meet the government's reduction targets, which means the big greenhouse gas emitters will probably get their way.

The Canadian Council of Chief Executives, who made the announcement, said that Kyoto's agressive obligations on industries are unattainable (in line with the Conservative criticism of the bill).

A soft cap means there will be voluntary restrictions on Canadian industries that fluctuate year to year depending on profit margins, instead of government enforced regulations as the NDP and environmentalists have suggested.

Who is the greenest of them all?

Liberal leader Stephane Dion began a cross-Canada tour this week to bolster the Grits' green image and expose the Conservative image as a weak facade.

In his recent appearance on The Hour, Dion warned Canadians that the Tories have no climate change plan. Instead, they are trying to win an election by appearing green, he said.

And Liberal environment critic David McGuinty reiterated "I don't think they have a plan. They're making it up as they go along."

The Liberals are pushing the public to see through through the Conservatives' green facade. But the Conservatives are firing back against Dion.

Yesterday in the House, the Conservatives pounced on him for supporting a carbon tax system.

Environment Minister John Baird declared it " the mother of all tax increases."

"A big battle is taking place right within the Liberal Party caucus to bring in a big tax whack called a carbon tax on Canadian families," he said.

The Liberals are updating their environmental policies over the next two weeks. Unfortunately, the Conservatives are sticking to their plan of inaction by shooting down plausible methods to implement Kyoto.

The green stuff

Now that the Conservatives are legally locked into Kyoto, researchers on both sides of the climate change debate are starting to look at the real costs attached to implementing it.

It would cost $100 billion over the next four years under a Robin Hood style plan by Friends of the Earth and Corporate Knights magazine that would tax fossil fuels and invest the profits in green energy.

Okay, that sounds like a lot. But it would only mean $20 dollars a week for an average Canadian family, the report says.

There are approximately 32,623,490 Canadians, according to the last survey by Statistics Canada.

That works out to $1.47 per person per week -- less than a cup of coffee at Tim Horton's.

The Stern report predicts the long term costs associated with climate change due to rising sea levels, increases in extreme weather events, negative health effects and displaced people. In comparison, it seems that less than a toonie a week per person is a wise economic investment.

But Baird and his Conservative government continue to deny the possibility of a carbon tax system.

They won't accept this plan to invest in combating climate change. Instead, they continue to invest in the destructive oil sands and watch the tab for climate change grow.

Kyoto clock keeps ticking, Conservatives keep kicking

Stephen Harper has 6o days to devise a plan for Canada meet its Kyoto obligations after a Liberal bill forcing his Conservatives to honour the international accord swept through the House of Commons today.

Immediately after agreeing to honour the bill, Harper implied that it will be ineffective because the bill has no plan of action in it (sounding like the proverbial pot calling the kettle black).

Speculation that Harper might try to circumvent the bill is mounting after his repeated attempts to kill it in its infancy and declarations that the Kyoto Protocol's six per cent emissions drop from 1990 levels by 2012 are unattainable and destructive to the economy.

Ironically, despite the Conservatives' reluctance to commit to the environment, the issue could actually help them in the next election, says pollster Greg Lyle.

The Conservatives and Liberals are neck and neck in the polls right now, but public concern about the environment, an issue the Liberals hope to make a top priority in the looming election, might actually help the Conservatives because it could split centre-left votes between the Greens, the NDP and the Liberals.

"They don't have to be seen as the best, they simply have to not be seen as bad. If they can do that with their target vote, then they're fine," says Lyle.

Now, the argument that John Baird was appointed Minister of the Environment to "neutralize" the issue, by giving the appearance that Conservatives are taking action on climate change seems to be even more persuasive. It seems that the Conservatives are poised to succeed in the polls by doing nothing but publicly blame the Liberals and hope voters defect to the Green party instead.

John Baird's Inconvenient Truth

Last week, John Baird cited Al Gore during question period, but yesterday Gore said Baird misrepresented his comments as praise for the Conservatives action on climate change.

"Canada [is] once again providing leadership in the world, fighting above its weight class and showing moral authority to the rest of the world. That's what Canada's known for," Baird read to the House.

Then he continued, "do we know who said that yesterday? Al Gore."

Today Gore clarified that the statement was not made last week, but last summer and that his words were designed to encourage Harper not to abandon the Kyoto process.

But the Tories say it would be impossible for Canada to meet its 2012 target of a 6 percent reduction below 1990 levels of greenhouse gas emissions.

The country is currently hovering at 38 percent above its 1990 levels of greenhouse gas emissions.

While the Tories continue to deny their Kyoto obligations, they have decided to dole out $1.5 billion to the provinces, who have started taking action on their own.

The first $350 million has been earmarked for Quebec's Green Plan to reduce carbon-dioxide emissions by 2012. Premier Jean Charest said that the money places the province on track to meet its obligations under the Kyoto Protocol.

Today B.C's Premier Gordon Campbell announced that the province will aim to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 10 percent under 1990 levels by 2020.

Tomorrow the House of Commons will take a final vote on a Liberal private member's bill that, if adopted, will force the government to devise an action plan to meet Kyoto.

Inconveniently, Baird's wrongful invocation of the patron saint of climate change coincided with the harsh truth that his government will quite possibly be forced into action on Kyoto despite its reluctance to do so.

Public eye focused on John Baird's tie

Yesterday, John Baird dismissed carbon taxes and international carbon trading market as ways of dealing with Canada's greenhouse gas emissions.

Instead, he suggested the government would rather spend the money in Canada.

Only two days after calling for bipartisan action on climate change, he declared "we don't sit around the cabinet table dreaming up ways to increase taxes. That's certainly more common in the McGuinty family than it is in the Harper cabinet."

Today, a coalition of opposition parties pushed The Kyoto Protocol Implementation Act through its third reading in Parialment. The proposal calls on Canada to meet its Kyoto commitment by reducing greenhouse gas emissions to 6% below 1990 levels by 2012.

Amidst the poltical tension, Canada's online community discussed the issues of the day.

Free Dominion, -the voice of principled Conservatism"- discussed the chances that John Baird was gay.

While two bloggers argued over his everpresent green tie.

Green politicking

Green action at the federal level is doing little to tap into the public's new found environmental consciousness.

In fact, our government has been so slow to act that, embarrassingly, even American bloggers are starting to blame Canadians for climate change.

In the wake of the IPCC global climate change report, Minister of the Environment, John Baird, asked parties to put aside their partisanship in the name of climate change.

But in a subsequent CTV question period, Baird violated on his own plea bargain by taking shots at Liberal leader Stephane Dion's environmental record.

"Voluntary good hopes and wishes really haven't accomplished much - we've seen that over the past 10 years with the previous Liberal government and Stephane Dion," Baird proclaimed.

Yesterday, Parliament passed a motion tabled by Dion's Liberals, that backed the minority government into a legislative corner to recognize that:

• our climate is changing because of human activity and is the most serious ecological threat of our time;
• that we must meet our international commitments to Kyoto; and
• that Canada must have a comprehensive plan to address climate change that includes strong regulations for industry and a cap and trade system

In response, Harper declared today that, “in the weeks ahead, for the first time ever, Canada's new government will move to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from major industrial sectors.”

Once again, the Conservative response to yet another indication that severe climate change is occurring now and increased pressure by the public and Parliament for action now was to declare that they are in the process of getting ready to act soon, instead of actually acting.

How can the opposition parties be expected to put partisanship aside when their role is to criticize the government, especially when the government declines to act on an issue as fragile as our environment?

A clear day on the climate change calender

Two glib indicators of global climate change surfaced on Groundhog Day.

Not one of North America's three groundhogs saw his shadow when he emerged this morning, signaling a veritable consensus that spring will come early this year.

But soon, our trusted groundhogs will be unemployed because spring will come early every year, if the IPCC's prediction of a 4-8ºC warming by the end of the century is accurate.

Today, the IPCC's more than 2,000 climate researchers from 100 countries (the largest peer-review exercise in the history of science) released their much-anticipated Fourth Assessment Report.

Public opinion (especially the 78% of respondents to a Globe and Mail poll who have noticed climate change they believe is related to global warming) indicates that Canadians are ready to listen to its grim forecast.

The IPCC's findings include evidence of increased sea level rise, rising global temperatures,widespread changes in precipitation amounts, ocean salinity, wind patterns and aspects of extreme weather including droughts, heavy precipitation, heat waves and the intensity of tropical cyclones.

However, Canadian pundit Rex Murphy is not convinced that mitigating such environmental degradation is not worth making an economic sacrifice.

Murphy questioned measures proposed by the Nobel Peace Prize nominee Al Gore, citing that Gore is no more authoritative on climate change science than Stephen Harper.

But, this week the Liberals unmasked Stephen Harper's faux environmentalism by circulating a letter signed by the Prime Minister that declared "Kyoto is essentially a socialist scheme to suck money out of wealth-producing nations."

Sorry Rex, there is one glaring distinction between the views of Harper and Gore on climate change.

The views of a Nobel Peace Prize Nominee, who spent 20 years researching the issue, and over 2,000 international scientists are informed.

The views of an Albertan, climate change denying, Prime Minister, who relies on inflammatory anti-socialist rhetoric, while trying to convince Canadians he's jumped on the green bandwagon, are uninformed.

The greening of the media

Does the recent influx of climate change coverage in the mainstream media indicate that a tipping point has occurred?

Today, for instance, a Factiva search of international news headlines containing the phrase "climate change" turned up an amazing 41,659 results.

The Globe and Mail dedicated the majority of its weekend edition to the issue and declared 2007 their year of "going green" (and literally turned their logo green for emphasis). Even the business section's headline read: "Getting richer by going green".

In addition, the front page of Sunday's Toronto Star lambasted climate change skeptics and the most recent Economist cover announced the Greening of America.

But, this week's Georgia Straight examined the role of the media in the climate change debate. In the article, University of Victoria climate-change expert Andrew Weaver says editors must realize they are being manipulated by pseudo-experts who cloud public debate on climate change and delay action through manufacturing doubt in the media (employing some of the PR tactics of big tobacco).

According to some scientists, the journalistic commitment to objectivity- giving equal and balanced coverage to the climate change deniers- serves to obscure the immediacy and severity of the issue.

But, as Jeffrey Simpson declares in the Globe weekend edition, the time for debate on climate change has come to an end. And Canadians seem to agree.

Even Marc, my trusted yet self-declared climate change "Luddite" friend, recently revealed:

"I blasted my friends for caring about such a tree-hugger issue, saying that nature was not my problem- high-and-mighty-me is more concerned with Human problems. Nature was some scientist in a laboratory’s responsibility. They will figure out this problem like they always do. Well, like many Canadians and Earthlings are coming to realize, I was absolutely in the wrong. This is the most Human problem that we will face in this century."

Has the increased media coverage of climate change created a corresponding level of public alarm? Or does the recent surge in public concern over the environment create a demand for increased climate change coverage?

Either way, at least the surge in public concern and media coverage demonstrate a functioning democracy. Politicians worldwide, including Canada's Conservative government, are starting to act on climate change.

The issue dominated this year's opening session of Parliament and an all-party committee has been set up to review the contentious Conservative Clean Air Act.

Baird under international pressure

Public concern over the environment is steadily rising, according to a poll conducted by Canada's Strategic Counsel and the Globe and Mail.

"It's developed a top-of-mind salience the likes of which we've never seen before,” said Allan Gregg, chair of the Strategic Counsel. “In 30 years of tracking, we've never had over 20 per cent saying they think this is the most important issue.”

Meanwhile, international pressure on Canada to commit to emission reduction targets is increasing.

On Wednesday, John Baird met with former British Environment Minister Elliot Morley,Tony Blair's special envoy on global warming.

Morley called on Canada to join "the G8 plus five"(including Brazil, China, India, Mexico and South Africa) to reduce GHGs.

This week, even President Bush addressed the environment during his State of the Union address.

He called on Americans to confront the “serious challenge of global climate change."

But Bush made no allusion to mandatory reductions in U.S. GHG emissions, disappointing a group of top U.S. corporations, who recommended a 60 to 80 percent reduction in emissions by 2050.

Such wake up calls for Canada to join the world in combating climate change are especially timely. The International Panel on Climate Change will release its dreary fourth assessment report on Feb. 2, 2007.

It's not easy going green

This week, John Baird committed $30 million to preserve the Great Bear rain forest. After nearly a year of waiting for the federal government to pay up, the announcement conveniently coincides with the Tories' green makeover.

The Minister of Natural Resources, Gary Lunn, also pledged $300 million in energy efficiency subsidies for homes and a small number of businesses, as part of their "so-called" green plan (if Harper can refer to GHGs as "so-called", then I can refer to their green status as "so-called").

According to Keith Boag, chief political correspondent for CBC, the government's green makeover is a sign that it is realizing it was slow to act.

But, as newly reappointed Liberal House Leader Ralph Goodale put it, "Have they changed the message or just the messenger?''

The green makeover started earlier this month with a new figurehead, John Baird. But the Conservatives need to convey they are taking action, and quickly. So they have looked to implement policies that can be enacted easily to convince the public they've changed.

The Tories have finally hacked into the budget for the sake of the environment, promising $230 million for research and development into clean energy, another $300 million in rebates for household energy efficiency (which sounds suspiciously similar to the Liberal "one tonne challenge"), $ 30 million to preserve the Great Bear rain forest, and $2 million to clean up the destroyed Stanley Park.

Although the Tory green image is starting to attract the attention of international media, like the Washington Post, the Canadian media recognizes that going green isn't as easy as doling out money for research, rebates, preservation and repair.

Going green requires more than a breezy image revamp. It requires directed action on the one issue that Conservatives find too difficult to incorporate into their "so-called" green plan- greenhouse gas emissions.

The Conservatives are trying to change colours from blue to green. But their plan needs to consider the sage advice of Kermit the frog: "It's not easy being green."

Greens shouldn't hold breath for Baird

At first, David Suzuki, Canada's most notable environmentalist, believed that appointing the notoriously outspoken John Baird as Environment Minister signaled a much-needed policy shift from the Tories.

Until recently, Prime Minister Harper used denial rhetoric to evade engaging the public on the climate change issue. Harper even referred to emissions as "so-called greenhouse gases".

However, some Youtube pranksters interpreted Baird's reputation for launching into impassioned rants in the House a little more cynically than Suzuki did.

In an attempt to silence critics concerned about Tory inaction, Baird presented a $2 million cardboard cheque from the federal government to clean up Stanley Park.

He also announced a $230 million ecoEnergy Technology Initiative, which amounts to a pledge for research and development into clean energy (including an exploration of nuclear energy).

But critics see these maneuvers as tactical, yet toothless, green'ish' PR for the Tories, who continue to avoid setting realistic timelines for emissions reductions.

While opposition party critics, like the newly appointed Liberal Environment Critic, David McGuinty, attack Baird's inaction on climate change, the Doomsday Clock advanced two minutes for the first time since 9/11 this week.

The clock is now set at five minutes to midnight-the closest it has been to midnight since the end of the Cold War. For the first time in history, the global failure to cope with climate change was cited as a reason, signaling that time is literally running out for Baird.

Exxon cuts ties to climate change contrarians

Even big oil is abandoning the deniers' sinking sinking ship (due to melting ice in the arctic)

Who is the new Minister of the Environment?

This winter, Canada's West Coast has been battered with storms, while the grass is still green in the East.

Vancouverites witnessed the visible effects of climate change in the city's beloved Stanley Park. Accordingly, Canada's new Minister of the Environment, John Baird, could not have picked a more evocative location to communicate that the extreme weather across Canada has been a "wake-up call."

John Baird inherited the position from Rona Ambrose during the cabinet shuffle that ushered in 2007. In his first press conference, Baird announced that the devastation in Stanley Park is "just an example of the kind of freak weather that we've had this year in parts of the country. This certainly is another reason that we've got to act on climate change."

Although this connection between extreme weather and climate change seems like a step toward understanding the issue, Baird did not start off his new term by unveiling a new strategy to fight climate change. Instead, he used Ambrose's infamous defence of blaming the Liberals for inaction, though he did say that alterations to the Conservative climate change plan were ahead.

But, the question remains: Who is John Baird? What qualifies him to fill, perhaps, the highest profile cabinet position, especially at a time when polls indicate that Canadians have prioritized the environment above health care as the number one issue for the first time in over a decade?

Baird is a star in Harper's caucus. He oversaw the Accountability Act as President of the Treasury Board. But will he be able to hold Canadian industry accountable for its emissions?

While the notoriously combatitive MP seems to take his job seriously, his critics are not convinced. The Western Standard even claims he has effectively raised the temperature since taking over the position. Meanwhile, environmentalists set out a list of demands for the new Minister and Andrew Coyne claims that Baird is only acting as Harper's 'neutralizer' on the issue.

Hopefully, in the weeks to follow, while the effects of climate change are still visible across the country, John Baird's stance on climate change will become clear.

Even more optimistically, perhaps he will take serious action toward recommitting to Kyoto emissions reduction targets, instead of taking the same embarrassingly lame posture that the ousted Ambrose displayed to the world as the Canadian representative at last year's UN Convention on Climate Change in Kenya.