Canadian scientists at an international symposium on climate change say a new report shows the Kyoto Protocol agreement on limiting fossil fuel emissions is not enough to slow the potentially disastrous warming of the planet.

The Arctic Climate Impact Assessment report was released yesterday in Iceland. It says the Arctic has warmed twice as much during the several decades as the rest of the world.

And that warming is expected to accelerate during this century, possibly leading to flooding in areas as widespread as Florida and Bangladesh. It could also threaten the long-term survival of numerous species including polar bears, and the cultures of northern aboriginal peoples.

Arctic warming threatens the long-term survival of polar bears.
Arctic warming threatens the long-term survival of polar bears.

Aboriginal groups in Canada and beyond have seized on the Arctic Climate Impact Assessment to urge governments to take quick action to head off the worst-case scenarios.

"We need to lower the greenhouse gas emissions because it is understood now by the entire world that this is the reason why the climate is changing so rapidly and warming up in the arctic," said Sheila Watt Cloutier, chair of the Inuit Circumpolar Conference.

David Lean, a professor at the University of Ottawa is among those scientists critical of Canada's ecological commitment to date.

"I was asked earlier today 'what is the Canadian government's position on climate change,' and I had to say that I don't think [it has one]. If [it has] one it's usually just full of flowery language which really doesn't say anything at all," Lean said.

Canada's target under the Kyoto Protocol is to reduce greenhouse emissions to 6 percent below the historic 1990 levels between 2008 and 2012.

Gordon McBean used to work for Environment Canada and is now a professor at the University of Western Ontario. He doesn't believe the Canadian government has a convincing strategy in place to reduce emissions.

"The scientists have been saying for more than 10 years, [that] to stabilize climate requires more than a 50 per cent reduction in emissions. Kyoto is less than 5 per cent," he said.

McBean says Kyoto is a first, small step in the right direction. But he argues Canada and other countries should think now about how they'll continue reducing greenhouse gas emissions after the initial targets are met.