Canada’s federal government has prepared a report to counter opponents’ forecasts that enacting the Kyoto Protocol would devastate the country’s economy. The report by Environment Canada, the country’s environmental agency, says industry claims that Kyoto could cost the country as much as $19-25 billion and as many as 450,000 jobs are bunk. The agency says both sets of figures assume that no other country but Canada would implement the treaty on climate change — even though Kyoto can only come into force once 55 countries have ratified it. In recent weeks, the oil-rich province of Alberta, the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, and the association Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters have attacked Kyoto as impractical. This weekend, Alberta Environment Minister Lorne Taylor said Environment Canada’s report was unconvincing and showed that the pro-Kyoto forces were desperate.
