In 2000 at the United Nations Millennium Summit, Canada joined 189 world governments in the commitment to achieve the MDGs, a set of 8 goals aimed at improving the lives of the world’s poorest by 2015.

The Target

• Integrate the principles of sustainable development into country policies and programs and reverse the loss of environmental resources.

• Halve, by 2015, the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation.

• Have achieved by 2020 a significant improvement in the lives of at least 100 million slum dwellers

The Facts

In 2000, more than 1 billion people in developing countries (1 in 5) lacked access to safe drinking water, and 2.4 billion lacked access to adequate sanitation. Both can be life-or-death issues. Soil degradation affects nearly 2 billion hectares of land, damaging the livelihoods of up to 1 billion people. 70% of commercial fisheries are fully or over-exploited. 1.7 billion people (a third of the developing world) live in countries facing water stress, and more than 250 million people living off the land are directly affected by desertification. Global warming is a global concern and carbon dioxide emissions are one of its main causes. High-income countries with 14% of the world’s population generate 44% of CO2 emissions.

Canada is one of the greatest consumers of energy per capital, burning the equivalent of roughly 7,700 litres of oil per person each year. Canada makes up less than one half of one percent of the world's population, but is the world's eight largest producer of carbon dioxide.

The Opportunity

Canada has a long way to go to become a leader in environmental sustainability. However, despite our high consumption, research shows that Canadian are eager to adopt clean, renewable energy technologies.

Our Focus

The Canadian government can show leadership by adopting more stringent greenhouse gas reduction targets and regulations concerning the environment.

Canada has a responsibility as one of the major greenhouse gas polluters to contribute financing for climate change adaptation and mitigation in developing countries. At the Copenhagen Climate Change Conference an agreement was reached that developed countries would contribute $30 billion for short term financing of adaptation and mitigation between 2010 and 2012. Canada's share is approximately CDN $1 billion in new and additional resources, based on an annual commitment of CDN $320-$420 million. Canada has yet to announce a specific amount that it will contribute for this purpose.