From: http://www.financialpost.com/news-sectors/story.html?id=2100855
PARIS -- Canada shouldn't be portrayed as derelict in the fight to reduce climate-altering greenhouse gas emissions, the International Energy Agency said here Wednesday.
A new IEA report said Canada has one of the highest rates of energy consumption among industrialized countries, but the agency also said Canada is also a stellar performer in improving energy efficiency.
Jean-Yves Garnier, head of the agency's statistics division, told Canwest News Service, that Canada's heavy consumption is understandable given factors such as climate, geography, and Canada's need to burn energy in order to fulfil its role as a major energy producer.
"Canada is a cold country, it is a large country, and it is a producer country, so there's nothing wrong here," he said.
Mr. Garnier said the world needs countries such as Canada as it struggles to meet both the rising demand for energy and the critical need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
The IEA, at a gathering of ministers that included Canadian Natural Resources Minister Lisa Raitt and senior representatives from China, Russia and India, released a "scoreboard" assessing the performance of the agency's 28 member countries.
The IEA didn't provide the media with a summarized ranking of its members, but Mr. Garnier said Canada has been a positive contributor despite its image among critics of the oil sands industry as a centre of "dirty oil" production.
"Well, we need producers, it's clear. The world needs people who produce the energy," he said at a news conference.
He cited Canada's 111% increase in energy production since 1974, combined with strong performances in the areas of energy efficiency and in the generation of clean hydro-electric power.
"One of our best examples, when I make a presentation on energy efficiency indicators, is Canada," he said.
He said major producer countries such as Canada have an obligation to make greater strides in reducing emissions, but dismissed criticisms that Canada's reputation is questionable because of its failure to honour its Kyoto Protocol commitments, and the growth of the heavily polluting oil sands sector.
"If you look at carbon dioxide emissions per capita by member countries Canada is one of the highest. So is Australia. Why? Because you are two big producers. You have to look at the full picture."
Among the 28 industrialized countries in the IEA, launched after the 1973 oil crisis, Canada ranks second, behind Luxembourg, in terms of energy consumption on a per person basis, according to the agency.