(CP) - Canada's environment minister formally notified the UN on Tuesday of the ratification of the Kyoto protocol, a day after Prime Minister Jean Chretien signed the 1997 treaty limiting greenhouse gas emissions at a ceremony in Ottawa.

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(CP) 17 December 2002 - Canada's environment minister formally notified the UN on Tuesday of the ratification of the Kyoto protocol, a day after Prime Minister Jean Chretien signed the 1997 treaty limiting greenhouse gas emissions at a ceremony in Ottawa.

David Anderson delivered the instrument of ratification to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and praised the approval of the protocol, negotiated in the Japanese city of Kyoto, saying it was the result of years of efforts. "Ratifying the Kyoto protocol is the right thing to do for Canadians, for the global environment and for the future generations," he said.

Canada's ratification brings the total so far to almost 100 countries that together represent about 40 per cent of the 1990 emissions.

The treaty's rejection by the United States - responsible for 36.1 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions in 1990 - means only Russia with its 17.4 per cent of emissions can push the ratification total over the 55 per cent threshold.

Russia has said it will ratify the protocol "in the very near future."

Once that happens, the countries that have accepted the protocol would be required by law to start reducing the carbon dioxide and other gases pumped out by factories, cars and other sources thought to trap heat in the atmosphere, warming the planet.

The agreement commits Canada and other signatories to reducing greenhouse gas emissions to six per cent below 1990 rates by 2012. In Canada, that would require a cut of 20 to 30 per cent from current levels.

Anderson stressed that the program entails "sacrifice" by individuals as well as industries.
He also said that if Canada can ratify the protocol, the United States and other countries can also do it because cutting down emissions of global warming gases will help future generations.

Washington argues that American industry would have to make disproportionate sacrifices in emissions.
Anderson also said that the government was holding negotiations with Russia to cut emissions because the two countries have similar climate apart from being industrialized countries.

Previous UN-led international conferences and treaties dealing with climate change have failed to achieve their goals, including the much-publicized Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992. Governements met again in Johannesburg in August this year to reaffirm the Rio commitments.

"In Kyoto, Canada was at the forefront of discussions to ensure that the protocol would be environmentally comprehensive and would operate on the basis of sustainable development," Anderson said.

"The treaty ensures that the environmental objectives can be reached, and allows the use of economic instruments and flexible market-based approaches."

The European Union welcomed Canada's ratification of the accord and urged Russia to follow suit.
Canada joined "the European Union in showing leadership in the fight against climate change," EU Environment Commissioner Margot Wallstroem said in a statement issued in Brussels.
Environmentalists have praised the Canadian decision as a display of world leadership in the fight against global warming.

"In the face of opposition from a strong fossil fuel lobby, he (Chretien) moved forward with the long-term interests of Canada and the globe in mind," said Jennifer Morgan, director of the World Wildlife Fund's Climate Change Program.

In Ottawa, Anderson's colleagues issued more statements reaffirming Canada's commitment to the protocol.

"The United Nations has worked hard for nine years to achieve international agreement on a global framework for action," said Foreign Affairs Minister Bill Graham as Anderson presented the treaty to the world body in New York.

"In the Speech from the Throne, the government of Canada committed to ratifying the Protocol before the end of the year and today we met that commitment."

Added Natural Resources Minister Herb Dhaliwal: "Ratification is an important milestone in Canada's contribution to addressing climate change. Now, we can look forward to the next challenge of the implementation phase."

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