THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ASIEH NAMDAR, CNN ANCHOR: New quotas have been established for the global reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. They were set last week at a global warming conference in Rio de Janeiro. But the new standards will only be imposed if and when the Kyoto Treaty comes into effect. The treaty is still in question because the U.S. rejects it. The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation examines what complying with the Kyoto agreement will mean for the North American nations.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JAN PRONK: The consequences of climate change -- ocean warming, sea level rise, coastal erosion, changes in food production potentials -- are bigger than we expected a decade ago.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The Kyoto Accord would cut the production of greenhouse gases -- gasses such as carbon dioxide -- that are blamed for causing global warming or climate change. When the world's nations met in 1997 and agreed to the cut, there was optimism in the air.
BERT BOLIN, INTERGOVERNMENTAL PANEL ON CLIMATE CHANGE: We need indeed to attend to this business of our planet, carefully and in cooperation.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: For its part, Canada committed to cut its greenhouse gas emission by 6 percent from 1990 levels. But almost four years later, the Kyoto Agreement is yet to be ratified by most nations, including Canada.
So, what is keeping them from reaching an agreement? The Canadian government is worried the accord will slow the economy -- the same concerns cited by U.S. President George W. Bush, who has pulled the U.S. out of the accord.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And we put a very strong position, and they (UNINTELLIGIBLE) to his opposition, obviously.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: After meeting with Tony Blair, who, along with European leaders, is pushing the U.S. to sign on, Bush was still clear about his priorities.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I believe economic growth and sound environmental policy can go hand-in-hand. Prime minister, as I assured you, I will come to you with a strategy that conforms to the goals of Kyoto and one that is that ti hope people understand makes sense for our country.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Canada still says it's committed to the goals of Kyoto, but it's holding out on ratifying the accord unless it gets two key credits it can apply to the amount it has to cut. One is called carbon sinks -- forest and agriculture lands that absorb carbon dioxide. Canada also wants similar credit for selling nuclear reactors to developing nations.
Those emission credits would count toward Canada's emission targets, meaning Canadian car and truck exhaust, industrial emissions and other forms of greenhouse gases won't face sharp cuts.
And the cuts Canada has committed to are now looking bigger, much bigger. Since 1990, greenhouse gas emissions in Canada have jumped 15 percent. This means to meet the Kyoto target Canada will have to cut our emissions by almost a quarter.
The challenge for Canada now is to decide whether it's going to sign on to the Kyoto Accord, or, as some fear, help kill it.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SHIHAB RATTANSI, CNN ANCHOR: And that was Canada's CBC.
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