Missing in action, apparently, is Stephen Harper who is sending environment minister Jim Prentice to Copenhagen, even as the USA and most of Canada's peers send their head-of-state or head-of-government. This news that China will send its premier serves to emphasize the pettiness of Harper's decision.
"China announced its first-ever target for cutting greenhouse gas emissions today, which will be presented by Prime Minister Wen Jiabao at next month's U.N. climate conference in Copenhagen. The news came after President Obama announced he would be attending the conference and taking with him a provisional target of reducing emissions "in the range of" 17 percent below 2005 levels by 2020 and 83 percent by 2050. For its part, China said it would aim to cut emissions relative to economic growth by 40 percent to 45 percent by 2020 compared with 2005 levels. The Chinese announcement is a bit confusing because it doesn't actually mean that China will be reducing its overall emissions, rather that it would slow down the speed of emissions growth by adopting new technologies. As the New York Times explains, China has previously rejected calls for "an absolute reduction in carbon emissions, arguing that environmental concerns must be balanced with economic growth and that developed countries must first demonstrate a significant commitment to reducing emissions." That's why the numbers aren't likely to satisfy European negotiators, who also weren't too happy by the news that China would send its prime minister to Copenhagen rather than President Hu Jintao. Still, the London Times emphasizes that some experts were quick to say that regardless of the details, it's still extremely significant that both China and the United States set targets, raising the possibility that Copenhagen won't be as big of a failure as many had feared. As the NYT notes, by taking the targets to the world stage, Obama is counting on Congress to pass a climate bill and ratify the international agreement, which even White House officials acknowledge are far from sure things."
link: Chinese Prime Minister Will Take Emissions Target to Cophenhagen
Is it the shame, that he cannot reconcile his government's pandering to Alberta oil lobbyists with the commitment to reduce harmful emissions that the USA has made that is keeping Harper away? Or does he just hate admitting when he has been wrong? With the announcement from China, his excuses are rapidly vanishing and Canada's decision to send a lower tier representative becoming more shameful.
EDIT: less than 2 hours after posting the above, the news services were carrying a report that the PM had changed his mind, in light of President Obama's decision to go to Copenhagen, and would attend as well. Another flip-flop by the PM. I take no credit.
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