Canada to miss 2020 emissions target

Canada will be unable to meet its 2020 targets to reduce emissions, according to a new report.

The National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy (NRTEE) claimed that the latest Government of Canada Kyoto Implementation Plan is an improved scheme to reduce emissions and it was praised for its transparency.

However, NRTEE added that, using the 2007 Kyoto Protocol Implementation Act (KPIA) integrated-modelling forecasts, as well as the government's 2020 predictions, Canada is unlikely to achieve its Kyoto target through domestic emissions reductions.

The report also states that some analysis of emission reductions has been overestimated.

"To help Canada continue to be accountable to its emissions reductions objectives, the NRTEE recommends the government continue to broaden its public process for evaluating its climate policies over the long term," the report stated.

However, it applauded the government for publishing its 2020 plans and targets in January 2011.

Clare Demerse, director of climate change at the Pembina Institute, told the Calgary Herald that the bottom line is that Canada's current climate policies are too weak.