Mr. Speaker, on June 19, I asked the Minister of Natural Resources to inform the House whether her department was on target to deliver our red book commitment to reduce carbon dioxide emissions which cause climate change. Our red book promise is clear, a 20 per cent reduction of carbon dioxide emissions below 1988 levels by the year 2005.
As shown in Environment Canada's recent study, the Mackenzie Basin impact study, climate change is already having an impact in Canada. This six year study shows that the Mackenzie Basin in northwestern Canada has warmed an average of 1.7 degrees Celsius over the last 100 years. Scientists found historically low water levels for Great Slave Lake, localized melting of permafrost and increased erosion and landslides resulting from an historically high number of forest fires in the region. They also concluded that the area covered by Arctic sea ice decreased by 5 per cent between 1978 and 1995.
So far the response to climate change by the Department of Natural Resources has been the national action program on climate change and its voluntary challenge and registry program for industry.
The same department estimates that carbon dioxide emissions in Canada will be 13 per cent above 1990 levels by the year 2000.
It is clear that the voluntary challenge will not stabilize greenhouse gas emissions, let alone reduce them by 20 per cent beyond 1988 levels as indicated in the red book. Thus we have a long way to go if we are to honour our international commitment and our red book promise.
There are alternatives. The rational energy plan developed by the Sierra Club of Canada with Informetrica provides a model for reducing carbon dioxide emissions while increasing employment for Canadians. Informetrica concludes that if the plan were fully implemented employment would increase, adding more than 550,000 person years of employment between this year and the year 2000. In addition, the Department of Natural Resources concluded that the plan would result in Canada's secondary energy demand falling by roughly 13 per cent by the year 2010, reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 22 per cent.
At present we seem to be working at cross purposes. We have in place subsidies which continue our dependence on non-renewable
energy sources which, in turn, increase carbon dioxide emissions. In contrast, subsidies to the renewable energy sector, although slightly increased in the last budget, are insignificant next to those enjoyed in the non-renewable fossil fuel energy sector. It seems that little planning is going into the transition from non-renewable carbon dioxide producing energy sources to the renewable sources. That transition will have to occur because of climate change and eventual resource exhaustion.
In her response to my question on June 19, the minister emphasized the government is committed to stabilizing carbon dioxide emissions at 1990 levels by the year 2000 but made no clear commitment to the further reductions called for in the red book. Internationally we talk about the stabilization of carbon dioxide emissions and further reductions beyond the year 2000, but domestically we seem to be failing to meet even the first of these objectives.
Can the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Natural Resources inform the House whether her department is on target in delivering on our red book promise to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 20 per cent below 1988 levels by the year 2005?