reported April 5, 2005

CANADA.com reports that a landmark agreement to reduce gas emissions
was
signed between the automotive manufacturers and the government. This
is
reported as per the requirements of the Kyoto Protocol, and the signing
was
done at the appropriately named Auto 21 engineering facility at the
University of Windsor which is located right across Detroit.

The problem, as immediately pointed out by the David Suzuki Foundation
and
the Pembina Institute for Appropriate Development, is that it means
very
little, because the deal is voluntary and not mandatory. They know
that
last voluntary agreement of this kind, signed in 1982 failed to improve
the
average fuel efficiency in Canada’s fleet. The new agreement also does
not
mention a requirement to stop the trend to less efficient and larger
vehicles - the gas-guzzlers.
Pembina.org and
ClimateWire show curves
for the
current and future fleet average fuel economy for new passenger
vehicles in
various parts of the world. With Japan the most efficient keeping a
5liter/100Km from 2002 to 2010, the EU moving downwards from 6.3 to
match
Japan by 2010, are the most promising areas; Australia from 8 to about
7.6
then Canada from 9 to 8 is only better compared to the US that is
expected
to move from 9.8 to 9.6 by 2008 and for the California rules to 9.4 but
reaching 7.6 by 2016 (the level of Australia expected already in 2010).

For Canada, the Suzuki Foundation finds that by 2010, as compared to
1990 -
according to the agreement signed with so much fanfare - there will be
a
total rise of CO2 emissions from motor vehicle by 18%.