This week's top climate stories focus on what the next steps should be as Canada and the world move forward to address climate change.
Speaking in Davos, Switzerland on Thursday, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper laid out a G8 and G20 agenda for this summer's summits that places little emphasis on climate change. In a statement delivered at the World Economic Forum, Harper said only that the upcoming G8 summit offers member countries the opportunity to "show leadership" on issues such as terrorism, piracy, climate change adaptation and nuclear disarmament. At a round-table discussion later in the day, other world leaders criticized Harper for comments that justified delaying action on climate change for economic reasons, the CBC reports.
President Obama's highly anticipated State of the Union Address on Wednesday night emphasized the need for comprehensive climate legislation and an appeal to Congress to support measures that will help the U.S. compete internationally for clean energy jobs. The New York Times reports that, despite a planned three-year budget freeze, climate and energy programs will likely receive increased funding.
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Speaking to the Globe and Mail, Environment Minister Jim Prentice explained that he intends to harmonize targets, base years and emissions reduction efforts with U.S. policy as it emerges. This means that Canada's national emission target may be conditional on U.S. efforts, according to a report from Shawn McCarthy.
Meanwhile in Ottawa, CBC Radio's All in A Day featured a panel discussion on what more the government could be doing on climate change if Parliament were not prorogued. CBC host Alan Neal spoke with the Pembina Institute's Clare Demerse, former climate negotiator and Director of IISD's climate and energy program, John Drexhage, and Dave Collyer, President of the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP).
LISTEN IN: Clare Demerse, John Drexhage and Dave Collyer discuss how the Copenhagen Accord could shape Canada's path to reducing emissions, with CBC Radio's Alan Neal (Jan. 28, 2010)
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Finally, following last week's controversial announcement of a $7-billion deal with Samsung to bring more than 15,000 clean energy jobs to Ontario, energy columnist Tyler Hamilton looks at the critiques of the deal in the Toronto Star, concluding that it will benefit workers, and the province as a whole.
