TABLE OF CONTENTS STAGE SET FOR ACTION ON CLIMATE CHANGE, MARCHI, WIRTH TELL CGCP SYMPOSIUM READERS WRITE CGCP NOW THE CONVENTION ON BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY LAND-USE AND LAND-COVER CHANGES: AN OPPORTUNITY FOR CANADA SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE ON PROBLEMS OF THE ENVIRONMENT: A RENEWED CANADIAN PRESENCE GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE AND HUMAN SECURITY PROJECT STARTS UP GECHS — AN OVERVIEW MONTREAL — GREENHOUSE GAS MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES UNDER DEVELOPMENT IMAGES OF A TIGER*: HELP FOR THE ACRONYMICALLY- CHALLENGED CCP INFO THE CANADA COUNTRY STUDY: CLIMATE IMPACTS AND ADAPTATION CONFERENCE OF THE PARTIES TO THE UNITED NATIONS FRAMEWORK CONVENTION ON CLIMATE CHANGE - HIGHLIGHTS THE EARTH SYSTEM: GEOLOGY LESSONS FOR OUR FUTURE INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM "ELECTRICITY PRODUTION AND GREENHOUSE GASES : FACTS AND PERSPECTIVES" May 4-7 1997, Montreal, Québec RECENT PUBLICATIONS EVENTS CALENDAR

Stage Set for Action on Climate Change, Marchi, Wirth Tell CGCP Symposium Tom Shillington for the Canadian Global Change Program Two top climate change policy makers in Canada and the US have signaled that a new era of more vigorous policy action on climate change may soon begin. Canada's Environment Minister, Sergio Marchi, and Timothy Wirth, Under Secretary for Global Affairs in the US State Department, spoke at a Canadian Global Change Program (CGCP) symposium held at the National Press Club in Ottawa. The event was part of the CGCP's ongoing effort to inform and involve top decision-makers in climate change issues. Marchi and Wirth told attendees that with widely publicized floods, heat spells, forest fires and weather swings, climate change is beginning to connect with people in a direct, everyday manner that has been missing up to now. "People everywhere have come to recognize that our climate is changing," Mr. Marchi told Members of Parliament, Senators, scientists, business leaders, environmental interest groups and government policy officials attending the November 6th symposium. "Forty percent of respondents in a Canada-wide survey said they were more concerned about climate change today than they were a year ago. And with good reason. They know something is happening. And it is frightening." "Flood, famine, fire, drought and wars over depleting resources now move from the realm of speculative fiction to realistic worry," Mr. Marchi added. Mr. Marchi and Mr. Wirth agreed that the time has arrived for significant action on climate change. "The science has been done," Mr. Wirth said. "Science has given us a sense of urgency ... Now, we must get on with the policy." Noting the Clinton Administration's strong commitment to the environment and the makeup of the newly-elected US Congress, Mr. Wirth said that "the planets are lined up politically in an incredible way" in the US for decisive action on climate change over the next several years. He said that the US remains committed to an international agreement establishing "realistic, verifiable and binding" targets for greenhouse gas emissions. Such targets could be met through a range of measures, including joint implementation and trading mechanisms, he added. Mr. Marchi admitted that "Canada is not doing as well as it should" to combat climate change. "Like other developed countries, our efforts to stabilize emission levels have fallen behind." But he also cited several examples of steps that have already been taken by Canada on climate change. And he expressed optimism that the meeting of federal and provincial ministers of energy and environment in December will lead to more concrete action. "I am confident of their good will and their good intentions for our environment. Nobody can afford to walk away from that room with a shrug. The stakes are way too high. We ignore global warming at our peril. This is a now problem. It demands a now solution." Economic opportunities Both Mr. Marchi and Mr. Wirth told the symposium that action on climate change makes good economic — as well as environmental — sense. Climate change has "very, very deep economic roots," Mr. Wirth said, adding that new government- industry partnerships must be forged to take advantage of the "enormous" economic potential of sound action on climate change in terms of expanded exports for technology and the turnover of capital. He added that developed countries such as Canada and the US will need to establish special relationships with developing countries on climate change, and in particular with the "five or seven major greenhouse gas emitters." Mr. Marchi said climate change offers "a significant economic opportunity for Canadians at home and abroad." "The challenges of climate change can only be met through continuous innovation and improvement in the way we use energy. Many of the actions we need to take will stimulate economic growth, create jobs, improve our international expertise and increase our exports." Balanced approach Mr. Marchi said that Canada's policy response must be a combination of voluntary action and government regulatory signals. "I fully support a vigorous performance-oriented voluntary approach," he said, but added that voluntary programs "have to perform." "Voluntary means doing what needs to be done, not just what you want to do ... One of the lessons our neighbours to the south have taught us is that a voluntary approach works best when it is backed up with an incentive of some sort." "We are beginning to explore the idea of cooperative action internationally for a tradeable permit system of greenhouse gases. This system would allow the economy to adjust to changing needs in a flexible, cost-effective and market-based way." A business perspective In offering a business perspective on climate change, CGCP chair Dr. Hugh Morris emphasized the need for governments and industry to establish the right context for encouraging private sector action on reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Dr. Morris, a mining industry businessman from Vancouver, told the symposium that he sees "a dramatic change in the level of interest, activity and concern" with respect to climate change among Canadian citizens and corporations. "The science appears to be unequivocal," Dr. Morris said. "We have to go on a carbon diet — we cannot use it as much as we've been accustomed to." But he expressed concerns over the long term potential of voluntary programs to engage industry on a sufficient scale, given the legal obligation of corporations to make money for their shareholders. Governments, working in collaboration with business, should set the rules so that Canadian businesses "can operate, participate and be profitable" while acting to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, he said. Market-based measures such as tradeable permits hold particular promise, he added. Regional impacts Symposium participants also received a briefing on one of the outstanding scientific uncertainties about climate change in Canada: the impacts at the regional level. Dr. Stewart Cohen, an Environment Canada climatologist and senior associate at the University of British Columbia's Sustainable Development Research Institute, summarized results from the six-year Mackenzie Basin Impacts Study. Dr. Cohen said that the study indicated impacts at the regional level may be "serious and negative." Impacts could include declining water levels and runoff, declining forest yields and increased forest fire risk, landslides from permafrost melting, and negative impacts on wildlife such as caribou. Dr. Cohen also said that most northern residents who participated in the study indicated that the climate change impacts would significantly change their vision of the future for their communities. Climate change and parliamentarians The CGCP symposium was officially opened by the Hon. Gilbert Parent, Speaker of the House of Commons. Summarizing remarks were given by Dr. F. Kenneth Hare on behalf of the event's co- sponsor, the Canadian Climate Program, and the symposium was closed by Senator Gildas Molgat, Speaker of the Senate. In expressing his appreciation to the CGCP for convening the session, Senator Molgat said that the climate change issue deserved more attention from parliamentarians, and urged the CGCP to continue its efforts to provide information and raise awareness. Copies of speeches given at the symposium are available from the CGCP Secretariat (see contact information on page one).