Canada in last place on WWF's G8 climate scorecard

by CTV — July 2, 2009

The World Wildlife Fund gives Canada a failing grade on its climate change practices, ranking the country behind all other major industrialized nations, including the U.S.

Canada finished in eighth place among the G8 nations -- its worst finish since the WWF first began releasing the annual report card three years ago.

The report finds that Canada is one of the few G8 countries whose emissions are still rising -- largely due to expanding activity in Alberta's tar sands.

And Canada's per-capita emissions are among the worst in the G8, along with sixth-place finisher Russia.

Even the United States is now ahead of Canada in terms of its efforts to combat climate change, says Gerald Butts, president and CEO of WWF Canada.

"Canada has never done particularly well on the scorecard," Butts told CTV's Canada AM. "But what's happened this year is with the new Obama administration in the United States, they've done more in the last six months than the United States has done in the last 30 years on climate." 

Changes include:

• New incentives for the creation and use of green energy
• A national emissions standards for vehicles
• A climate change bill is now moving through congress

Source:CTV