The report says: “The Global Environment Outlook: environment for development (GEO-4) report is published in what may prove to be a remarkable year—a year when humanity faced up to the scale and pace of environmental degradation with a new sense of realism and honesty matched by firm, decisive and above all, imaginative action.

It highlights the unprecedented environmental changes we face today and which we have to address together. These changes include climate change, land degradation, collapse of fisheries, biodiversity loss, and emergence of diseases and pests, among others. As society, we have the responsibility to tackle these and the development challenges we face. The trigger propelling countries and communities towards a rediscovery of collective responsibility is the most overarching challenge of this generation: climate change…”

In Canada, the federal Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development Ron Thompson issued his report today (October 30). The report states that the Federal governments — be they Liberal or Conservative — continue to fail to make decisions and implement policies that would protect Canada’s natural environment. In his first report, the commissioner says the “ambition and momentum” that once existed when it came to environmentally sustainable policies “have faded and that strategies are a major disappointment.”

Auditor General Sheila Fraser backed up Thompson’s view saying, “After a decade, sustainable development strategies are a major disappointment. For the most part, senior managers in departments have not demonstrated that they take the strategies seriously and few parliamentary committees have considered them.”

Commissioner Thompson says that the Conservatives issued new guidelines for environmentally sustainable practices for government departments shortly after it took power. But Thompson says that “the new federal goals are not defined in specific or objectively measurable terms and do not provide common measures that departments could use to monitor and report on their progress.”

He goes on to say, “We conclude that the Government of Canada and, in particular, Environment Canada have made unsatisfactory progress toward providing meaningful direction and guidance to departments and agencies,”

Our federal government, through its 32 departments and agencies, have a duty to promote sustainable policies & reduce emissions in every sector of the Canadian economy. They must lead; Yet they fail. Canada must protect our magnificent commons: water, ground, air. Moreover, all the science tells us that to avoid the most devastating impacts of climate change we must cut emissions by at least 80% by 2050.The government is like a diet which allows you to eat as much chocolate as you like. Ridiculously short sighted thinking on the part of PMO & our Ministers. Shame on them all!

It seems that the only people in Ottawa that tell the people the truth are the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development Thompson & the Auditor General Fraser.

It seems the government is all 100% SPIN 100% of the time.