The One-Tonne Challenge was a challenge presented by the Government of Canada in March 2004 for Canadians to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by one tonne each year. The figure represented 20% of total greenhouse gas output by Canadians at the time and aimed to help the country reach its

Kyoto Protocol The Kyoto Protocol was an international treaty which extended the 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) that commits state parties to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, based on the scientific consensus that (part ...

emission reduction targets. The Liberal Government under

Jean Chrétien Joseph Jacques Jean Chrétien (; born January 11, 1934) is a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the 20th prime minister of Canada from 1993 to 2003. Born and raised in Shawinigan Falls, Quebec, Chrétien is a law graduate from Uni ...

and Paul Martin approved over $45 million to fund the program from 2003 to 2006.Evaluation of the One-Tonne Challenge Program
/ref> To promote this program, the government placed television and

print Printing is the process for reproducing text and images using a master form or template Print or printing may also refer to: Publishing * Canvas print, the result of an image printed onto canvas which is often stretched, or gallery-wrapped, o ...

ads featuring comedian

Rick Mercer Richard Vincent "Rick" Mercer (born October 17, 1969) is a Canadian comedian, television personality, political satirist, and author. He is best known for his work on the CBC Television comedy shows ''This Hour Has 22 Minutes'' and '' Rick Merc ...

. In one commercial, he described Canadians as wanting to take the challenge. "C’mon... we’re Canadian... we’re up for a challenge!" The government urged Canadians to do such things as: * take public transit more often * idle vehicles less * use programmable

thermostat A thermostat is a regulating device component which senses the temperature of a physical system and performs actions so that the system's temperature is maintained near a desired setpoint. Thermostats are used in any device or system tha ...

s * seal windows with caulking and weather-stripping *

compost Compost is a mixture of ingredients used as plant fertilizer and to improve soil's physical, chemical and biological properties. It is commonly prepared by decomposing plant, food waste, recycling organic materials and manure. The resulting m ...

organic kitchen waste * support green energy * water and energy conservation * purchase electronics that are labelled with Energy Star logo * recycling The program received a lukewarm reception from the public, and has been criticized as ineffective and wasteful. This program was started by the

Liberal Party of Canada The Liberal Party of Canada (french: Parti libéral du Canada, region=CA) is a federal political party in Canada. The party espouses the principles of liberalism,McCall, Christina; Stephen Clarkson"Liberal Party". ''The Canadian Encyclopedia'' ...

. However, with the election of

Stephen Harper Stephen Joseph Harper (born April 30, 1959) is a Canadian politician who served as the 22nd prime minister of Canada from 2006 to 2015. Harper is the first and only prime minister to come from the modern-day Conservative Party of Canada, ...

's Conservative Government in 2006, the One Tonne Challenge was scrapped.

References

{{reflist

External links

Government of Canada - One-Tonne Challenge

Yukon News - Conservatives Nix One Tonne Challenge
Environment of Canada Greenhouse gas emissions Emissions reduction Energy conservation in Canada

See also

References

External links