Earlier this afternoon the Wall Street Journal, or something that looked like it, reported an amazing shift in the postition of Canada, a regular recipient of the ‘fossil of the day’ award for the country that does the most to impede climate change negotiations.
The Journal apparently reported that Canada had announced:
..an aggressive new commitment to curtailing carbon emissions, and lays out the guidelines for a new climate adaptation fund for developing nations.
The plan announced will increase Canada’s greenhouse gas reduction targets to 40% of 1990 levels by 2020 and 80% percent by 2050, goals in line with recommendations of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
You would be forgiven for thinking that this didn’t quite square with Canadian efforts to undermine negotiations and move towards much weaker targets and methods of compliance. And so it turned out as chinadialogue and the assembled press corps were sent a rather upset email from Environment Canada.
"It is the height of cruelty, hypocrisy, and immorality to infuse with false hopes the spirit of people who are already, and will additionally, bear the brunt of climate change’s terrible human effects," said Jim Prentice, Canada’s Minister for the Environment. "Canada deplores this moral misfire, while remaining confident in her critical role in the arena of the UNFCCC, and of the world.
Environment Canada went on to highlight the "dynamism" of their oil sands industry apparently necessary "to develop the alternative energy future the whole world craves." I think I prefer the lies of the pranksters.
Update: It looks like the reaction to the spoof was also part of the spoof. I have to say I bought it. Brilliant.