Quote:
Originally Posted by Makarov
A couple of thoughts:
If Canada's record is a contribution of 3% of global emissions, that is a truly appalling record for a country with .5% of the world's population. It is made all the more appalling by the following:
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I agree, but there are many other factors at play here - below are 3 big ones:
1. We are a cold climate, as such our homes need to be heated in the winter which leads to a large carbon foot print.
2. Our country is huge and our population is relatively low (square foot per person is the largest in the world). This means you basically have to own a car if you want to get anywhere (obviously there are exceptions). There is no limit to the size we can build some cities which leads to longer commute times etc.
3. Due to the size of Canada we have larger homes than most countries because we have the space to build them. Large homes consume more energy.
Our CO2 footprint is more a function of the size of Canada and our relatively small population than it is Canadians being "bad polluters".
I agree that we should want to reduce our footprint, however it's not as easy as saying we are a wealthy nation, therefore our carbon footprint should be lower than developing nations. Our per capital CO2 output is high for a reason.
edit: I'm not saying this makes it right, just that it's more difficult for Canadians to have lower CO2/capital emissions than other nations. A change in lifestyle is required to really lower our CO2 emissions and I don't think Canadians are ready to give up their 2000 square foot homes and 45 minute commute times in the suburbs.