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The new UK ambassador to Ottawa said Canada has remained credible as a reliable partner in the fight against climate change, despite an increase in domestic greenhouse gas emissions in recent years.
Susanna Joshua, Britain’s High Commissioner to Canada recently, says the current Trudeau administration has shown “enormous leadership” in the fight against climate change in the international arena.
Because Canada has doubled its financial obligations to the climate fund and raised its emissions reduction targets, Josko put pressure on other countries.
The main UN conference in Scotland, known as COP26, will take place next month. As the UK prepares to host what is seen as climate talks, Joshko gave an estimate in a lengthy interview.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has come under criticism from his political opponents and environmental groups in the recent federal election because Canada’s carbon emissions actually peaked between 2015 and 2019, the last years the data was available.
While neo-liberal policies may have reduced emissions over the next two years, current data suggest that Canada’s reputation for fighting climate change has waned since its participation in the Paris climate deal in the weeks leading up to Trudeau’s rule.
Not so, Kushko said in Britain’s view.
“I have no doubt that it will be difficult to do what is needed to achieve our climate goals. It is very difficult to move to a net-zero economy. And for Canada, I think the most important thing is the commitment there.
Canada has shown “tremendous leadership”: Joshko
Net zero does not add new emissions to the Earth’s atmosphere because it captures all emissions produced by nature or technology.
Canada has pledged to reach net zero this year by 2050 and has raised its emissions reduction targets from 30 percent in 2005 to 40 to 45 percent by 2030.
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With these new pledges, Canada’s partnership with Germany to provide $ 100 billion in funding to poor countries to fight climate change is “Canada’s greatest leadership,” Joshko said.
“This is the leadership we need, because if we are going to make the COP a success, now all countries really need to step up these commitments.”
Kushko said it was important for China, the world’s largest emitter, to participate in COP26, but his administration is still waiting for President Xi Jinping to attend with 120 world leaders. November.
Despite China’s greed for energy, including the type of coal burning, Josho said it remains the world’s largest investor in renewable energy and a key partner in the fight against climate change.
Joshko has been at the forefront of Britain and Canada’s greater engagement with China in recent years. He recently served as private secretary to the late British Foreign Secretary Dominic Robb for two years.
He saw the personal friendship of Rob and his former Canadian partner Fran பிரான்ois-Philippe Champagne during private meetings in London before and after the outbreak. Joshko said Rob was particularly pleased to pursue a deeper alliance with Canada given Brexit.
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This was reflected in Canada’s support in light of China’s imprisonment of Michael Gowrick and Michael Spover, which ended in September almost three years later. He said Rob was an early supporter of Canada’s international efforts to issue a statement against the arbitrary detention of states.
He said Canada was keen to criticize China for human rights abuses in Hong Kong and for its international efforts to impose sanctions on Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang, and that China was not ashamed to detain two of its citizens in retaliation. China’s CEO Meng Wanzhou should be arrested on a warrant for extradition to the United States.
“I can’t remember the time we came to Canada and said, ‘We want to do something about this,’ and there was no answer,” Kushko said.
AUKUS is no substitute for five eyes
Joshko underestimated any suggestion that Britain was ignoring Canada by forming a new alliance called AUKUS with Australia and the United States. The alliance aims to help Australia buy nuclear submarines to counter China’s growing regional influence.
France was outraged by the move, but Trudeau dismissed it, saying Canada had no interest in nuclear submarines.
Britain’s military and defense cooperation with Canada is strong in other areas, including the balance against Russia by NATO in Eastern Europe, and the recent agreement to deepen cooperation in the Arctic.
Joshko said Britain’s alliance with Canada on the Five Eyes Intelligence Sharing Network (along with Australia, the US and New Zealand) was a priority that did not conflict with AUKUS in any way. All members of the Five Eyes are constantly working to improve his ability.
“I do not see the American University of Jerusalem in any way, intent or violating the Five Eyes,” he said. “It is not logical for us to be at the expense of one another.”
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