Let's do the time warp again!

Dear Editor,

I believe that the letter to the editor of the Honourable John Baird, Minister of the Environment, is itself misleading Whig-Standard readers("Government is intent on fighting climate change," Jan. 11). His government's switching of dates and resurrecting old policies as new ones made me think of "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" - Let's do the time warp again!

The Kyoto protocol was developed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions now. The current government's target of 20 percent by 2020 is like going to your neighbour and saying, "May I borrow $20? I'll pay you back in 2020". Only it's worse because it's more like going to your neighbour's kid, saying, "Hey, I'm going to borrow $20 from you. I'll pay you back in 2020", and then hoping he'll forget.

Let's do the time warp again! The Kyoto protocol called for reducing greenhouse gas emissions to six percent below year 1990 levels. The current government's, "Turning the Corner", plan calls for reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 2020 to 20 percent below year 2006 levels - conveniently forgetting about 16 years of growth in emissions, (resulting in a roughly 25% increase) since 1990. The government's plan might get us, 12 years from now, barely back to 1990 levels and we would still be over our Kyoto target.

Let's do the time warp again! Minister Baird writes that, "For the first time in Canadian history, we will have mandatory targets [and] will require big industry to pay into a technology fund starting at $15 per tonne of carbon". Unfortunately, these ideas (even the exact figure of $15) can be found in the Government of Canada's, "Project Green - Moving Forward on Climate Change", published in 2005.

Please spare us the Horror, Minister Baird!

(when this letter was published, the newspaper editor, thoughtfully, removed references to the Rocky Horror Picture Show)