EU upholds climate plan despite financial turmoil

Europe has been hit harder and faster than Canada by the global financial meltdown. Yet the EU has just confirmed that their emissions-trading based plan on climate change will still go ahead.

"French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who currently holds the rotating presidency of the 27-country European Union, said that despite some misgivings about the cost, 'climate change is so important that we cannot use the financial and economic crisis as a pretext for dropping it.'"

Central- and eastern-European countries that depend heavily on coal will get help from the other EU members.

In contrast, in Canada, faced with the fear of an oncoming recession, we've just reelected a Conservative government whose "intensity-based" climate change plan will not work. Both the Green Party/Liberal plan (carbon tax/income tax cuts plus emissions trading) and the NDP plan (just emissions trading) were defeated.

The EU's ambition on climate change is indeed "made of sterner stuff" (Shakespeare: Caesar). Canada has missed another chance to show the world some real leadership and resolve.