Ontario Joins WCI

On Friday, Ontario premier Dalton McGuinty said his province, which is considered the industrial heartland of Canada, will join the Western Climate Initiative (WCI). 

The WCI is a carbon credit trading pact among Canadian provinces British Columbia, Manitoba and Quebec, and the U.S. states California, Arizona, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah and Washington.

Established by the state governors, the WCI intends to provide leadership in reducing greenhouse gas emissions that is missing at the federal level. The group aims to reduce emissions 15% below 2005 levels by 2020.

The WCI is currently working to design a cap-and-trade market for reducing emissions. Details are expected next month.

McGuinty, who last week announced that Ontario would protect a section of its northern boreal forests half the size of California, is a strong critic of the federal Canadian pan to fight climate change.

It appears that Canada is unlikely to meet is Kyoto Protocol goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions 6% below 1990 levels by 2012.

"We’re proud to be welcomed into this important organization of climate change leaders across Canada and the United States," McGuinty said in a statement. "We all have a part to play in the fight against climate change."

 

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