Who's against the G8 global warming plan? Harper and Bush.

Leon Benoit's temper tantrum on Thursday takes on even more significance when we hear about things like this.

The US is fighting to water down a declaration on global warming being prepared for next month's G8 summit, it was reported today.

Reuters said Washington was objecting to specific targets and arguing against significant UN involvement.

The US stance risks provoking a major rift with Germany, which hosts the annual summit of the G8 industrialised nations in the Baltic Sea resort of Heligendamm between June 6 and 8.

Reuters reported that Washington was objecting to pledges to limit global temperature rises by 2C this century and to reduce total world greenhouse gas emissions to 50% below their 1990 levels by 2050.

With that you are probably wondering how Benoit's behaviour is in any way linked to the US Bush administration trying to find a way out of dealing with global warming. Well, read down the article a little further and you find this.

The German chancellor, Angela Merkel - whose country holds the rotating G8 presidency - will host the leaders of fellow members Britain, the US, Russia, Canada, Japan, Italy and France.

Leaders from China, India, South Africa, Mexico and Brazil will also attend the meeting.

Ms Merkel has spoken of her determination to push through an ambitious plan to combat global warming following an EU-wide deal agreed in March. However, she faces resistance from the US and Canada.

Because if Canada integrates its energy policy with the US, it would also have to integrate its environmental policy. The two go hand-in-hand.

In short, the Harper government is taking its marching orders on environmental policy from the clowns at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., Washington DC. When Benoit tossed protocol out the window and walked out of a parliamentary committee meeting, which was hearing testimony expounding on the fact that Canada has no laws to build in protection of energy supplies for our own population, it was because he has a tight timetable and an inflexible agenda.

Benoit has to be able to go back to Harper and tell him he is well on his way to clearing a path for energy supply integration with the US before the June 6th G8 summit. It would provide Harper a reason to declare that he is aligned with the Bush administration environmental policy. Without it the Europeans can make it clear that Harper has no other reason for supporting the Bush position on the environment except that he's a Bush sycophant.

Any opposition to the plans of the Harperites can be exploited by the Europeans at G8. If it looks as though opposition to an integrated energy policy is strong enough to make the idea unworkable, Harper will find himself questioned as to why Canada is dragging its feet on a problem which the population of his own country is waving in his face.

Going to the G8 and siding with the US in trying to water down a declaration of action on global warming highlights one other thing: Harper's environment plan is clearly a sham.

(Hat tip reader Cat)