The Canadian government has reduced its greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) reduction targets, which now stands at CO2 cuts of five million tonnes in 2010, eight million tonnes in 2011 and 10 million tonnes in 2012, reports AFP.
Earlier this year, Canada aligned itself with the U.S. goal to reduce GHG emissions 17 percent. In January, the U.S. officially pledged to cut 2020 emission by17 percent below 2005 levels.
The new 2010 target is ten times weaker than last year's estimate that capped the growth of emissions by 52 megatonnes for the year, reports the Vancouver Sun.
Environmentalists told AFP it would lead to a 2.5 percent increase in Canada's CO2 emissions from 1990 levels, compared to Ottawa's previous plan announced in 2006 to cut emissions by three percent.
The new target was released in a report, "A Climate Change Plan for the Purposes of the Kyoto Protocol Implementation Act" (PDF).
Canada also recently announced it is increasing its financial aid to developing countries to help them reduce emissions and adapt to climate change. Canada is making a contribution of $238.4 million over the four-year period of 2010-2014 to the Global Environment Facility (GEF), which marks an increase of 50 percent over Canada's previous contribution of $158.94 million for the past four years.
