NEWS RELEASE
Environment commissioner exposes Canada’s haphazard approach to environment
David Suzuki Foundation calls for change of direction as economic development outpaces environmental protections
For Immediate Release Feb. 5, 2013
OTTAWA— The
release today of the 2012 Fall Report of the Commissioner of the
Environment and Sustainable Development raises alarms about the federal
government’s approach to managing human impacts on the environment,
according to the David Suzuki Foundation.
The
commissioner cautions that Canada’s current course, with 600 major
resource projects valued at $650 billion taking place over the next 10
years, does little to address serious environmental risks. The report
addresses issues in
four chapters: Atlantic Offshore Oil and Gas Activities, Financial
Assurances for Environmental Risks, Marine Protected Areas and A Study
of Federal Support to the Fossil Fuel Sector.
“The
increasing gap between the accelerated development of natural
resources and the capacity of the federal government to protect the
environment and manage risks is made crystal clear in the
commissioner’s report,” says Jean-Patrick Toussaint, science project
manager at the David Suzuki Foundation’s Quebec office. “While the
government should be enhancing its efforts, it has chosen to dismantle
legislation protecting our health and environment, subjecting all
Canadians to unacceptable risks.”
The
report was also critical of the missed targets for Marine Protected
Areas. “Canada has multiple acts and agreements that commit to
protecting 20 per cent of our oceans by 2020, but the commissioner shows
that with less than one per cent protected, we won’t meet this goal
within this century,” said Bill Wareham, senior marine conservation
specialist. In contrast, Australia recently announced plans to protect
40 per cent of its marine environment.
The report
highlights the irresponsibly low liability cap of $30 million for
businesses for oil spills, which is several orders of magnitude less
than the estimated damage from the Deepwater Horizon disaster in
the Gulf of Mexico ($40 billion). “While the financial risk is
astounding, the implications to our natural heritage and the lives of
people who depend on the bounty of the ocean are immeasurable,”
Toussaint said.
With
production of natural gas from unconventional sources expected to
increase by more than 50 per cent in the coming years, it’s essential
for the federal government to put control measures in place for toxic
substances used in the fracking process. “We were happy to see concerns raised about the lack of regulation of toxins used in the fracking
process,” said David Suzuki Foundation energy policy analyst Tyler
Bryant. “The federal government needs to lead by requiring shale gas
producers to disclose the pollutants they release, to evaluate the
impacts and to regulate practices for the health and safety of Canadians
and their environment."
Bryant
said efforts to reduce subsidies in the energy sector are a positive
step, but that clean energy programs need more support. “We need to
continue phasing out subsidies for fossil fuel extraction and start
phasing in subsidies for clean energy deployment,” he said.
The
release of this report underscores the crucial role played by the
Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development in providing
an overview of Canada’s environmental practices and recommendations
for improving environmental performance.
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