Canada Leading the World in Climate Change Legislation

Canada: Leading the way in climate change legsislation As David Sassoon writes in SolveClimate.com, there hasn’t been a lot of reporting of it, but Canada’s House of Commons has become the first national legislative body to address climate change by passing a bill that calls for an 80% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions over 1990 levels by 2050 – the most commonly accepted level of target reduction among world leaders.

The “private member's bill”, introduced by Jack Layton of the New Democratic Party, passed with a vote of 148–116. Still requiring passage from the Senate, and facing a Conservative government avowed to simply ignoring it, the bill may be largely symbolic. But symbolism has a place in helping bring about change and lubricating the inertia of inaction.

It is certainly better than the symbolism forthcoming of late from the United States Senate.

Canada has even more to show for the recent efforts in addressing global warming. The provinces of Quebec and Ontario have introduced an inter-provincial cap-and-trade system to begin in 2010.

Also recently announced is the start of the Montreal Climate Exchange. Quebec Premier Jean Charest says of the coming growth and “formalization” of the carbon market

“It is in our interest in Canada to be ahead of this curve and to prepare for what is going to be one of the most important markets or commodities in the next few years. We must move now and not wait until that happens and rather be in front of this important movement.”

It is an old saying, A Journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step. And such it is with the human response to climate change. If only a few single steps, Canada has taken those first few steps. We can only hope more of the world community will take heed and follow.