U.N. Climate Talks: Canada chosen as “Colossal Fossil”

Media release from the Climate Action Network:

December 12, 2008 – For the second year in a row, Canada has been chosen as the most obstructive country at the U.N. climate negotiations in Poland. The negotiations, scheduled to wrap up today, feature a “Fossil of the Day” award for the country that does the most to block progress during negotiations towards a new global climate deal.

During the two-week Poznan negotiation, Canada won a total of 10 daily Fossil awards, including prizes for blocking progress towards science-based targets and insisting the removal of a reference to indigenous peoples’ rights in a deforestation text. This was enough to earn the prize as the conference’s overall Fossil champion, also known as the “Colossal Fossil.”

Climate Action Network Canada observers at the conference made the following comments in response to Canada’s Colossal Fossil “award”:

“Canada played a shameful role here in Poznan, as this ‘prize’ confirms,” said Dave Martin, Greenpeace Canada. “We now have just one year left to reach agreement on a strong global climate deal. Canada needs to stop blocking progress and finally start showing some leadership.”

“At last year’s UN climate conference in Bali, Canada and the U.S. tied for most Fossil awards,” said Dale Marshall of the David Suzuki Foundation. “The impending departure of President Bush silenced the U.S. at the negotiating table and exposed Canada as the single most obstructive country in Poznan.”

The winners of the Fossil of the Day awards are chosen by a vote by the Climate Action Network International, which includes more than 400 NGOs from every region of the world.