Oil-soaked hands across the border

It's always interesting to see how one's government portrays the country to people elsewhere.  So as I thumb through the last issue of The New Yorker, I find on the inside back cover a Government of Canada ad.  Against the backdrop of a nice green river valley, the ad states that "America and Canada have the same greenhouse gas reduction targets," and that "Canada and America are committed to the same 17 per cent reductions in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2020."  (The text of the ad is also available here.)

But as Jeffrey Simpson has explained the government's own numbers indicate that there is no chance this 17 per cent reduction will be achieved.  In fact, emissions are expected to grow, thanks mainly to the oil sands.  Environmental Defence has a good overview of the oil sands and future greenhouse gas emissions.

Of course, the point here is the Canadian government's ongoing effort to build American support for the Keystone XL pipeline.  But as always, the cynicism applied to the task is a little breathtaking.