Federal Environment Minister David Anderson addresses the crowd during a debate on the Kyoto Accord at the University of Alberta in Edmonton on Tuesday. Photo: Christine Vanzella/CP

The tug-of-war over Canadian ratification of the Kyoto Protocol continues.

A group of Canadian and international climate science and energy specialists urged the federal government on Wednesday in Ottawa to delay ratifying the accord until further consultation is undertaken with the scientific and energy community.

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"The Kyoto Accord will, without a doubt, not achieve the goals established by the federal government," said Dr. Tim Patterson, professor of Earth Sciences (Paleoclimatology) at Carleton University in Ottawa.

"Climate science is too immature to justify Kyoto. While we are all working toward improving the environment, the scientific evidence clearly demonstrates that climate change is nowhere near as drastic as special-interest groups have painted it to be. On the contrary, our current environment is following a pattern one would expect due to entirely natural causes."

The eight specialists, representing more than 20 of their colleagues in the fields of climate change and energy, say they have identified key flaws in the science supporting Kyoto.

They presented their case at a news conference sponsored by Imperial Oil, Talisman Energy and other private interests.

Among the group's contentions: Humanity is not the primary cause of global climate change, computer models do not show catastrophic warming in the future, there is no reason to believe that current rates of temperature change are in any way different from what one would expect from entirely natural causes, and variations in the Sun's brightness, not CO₂ levels, for most of Earth's climate change.

Dr. Fred Singer, professor of Environmental Sciences at the University of Virginia, says many in the scientific community are frustrated that "climate change alarmists" have created an unsubstantiated pro-Kyoto bias.

"Political correctness is warping the science but the scientific data simply does not support ratification of Kyoto in Canada," Dr. Singer said.

Mr. Patterson said more voices from the scientific community must be heard.

"There are literally thousands of experts in the field who are strongly opposed to Kyoto but have not been consulted," Mr. Patterson said. "The federal government has the opportunity to be responsible and extend the Kyoto debate to allow for further consultations from all interested individuals."

"The science community welcomes the responsibility to inform Canadians and government decision-makers on this important and complex issue. Simply said, there is too much scientific evidence disputing Kyoto to proceed with ratification any time soon."

During a a two-hour forum on the accord at the University of Alberta Tuesday night, Environment Minister David Anderson said Canada should get on with ratifying the Kyoto.

"Next to nothing has happened in reducing emissions as the result of voluntary measures," Mr. Anderson told a crowd of roughly 800 — many of them students, academics and politicians.

The Kyoto protocol would commit Canada to reduce its greenhouse-gas emissions to 6 per cent below 1990 levels by 2012. Greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, a byproduct of burning fossil fuels, are believed by most scientists to be largely responsible for global climate change.

Opponents of the accord fear it will add far more to the cost of doing business than its environmental benefits are worth, damaging Canada's economic growth.

Some of the debate Tuesday night focused on whether there is sufficient scientific evidence to show that global warming is linked to greenhouse-gas emissions. But Mr. Anderson and panelist David Schindler, an award-winning expert on water issues, both said it was like playing Russian roulette to doubt the growing scientific evidence linking emissions with climate change.

"God help the business community if we ignore the science," Mr. Anderson said in responding to a member of Students Against Kyoto. "God help the public."

With a report from Canadian Press