<P> Some argue that since 2006, when Prime Minister Stephen Harper took office, his strong opposition to the Kyoto Accord, his market - centred policies and "deliberate indifference" contributed to a dramatic rise in GHG emissions in 2007 (Climate Action Network Canada). Prime Minister Harper opposed the imposition of binding targets at the 2007 Bali Conference unless such targets were also imposed on such countries as China and India, which are exempt from GHG reduction requirements under the terms of the Kyoto Protocol . Although Canadian GHG emissions fell in 2008 and 2009 due to the global recession, Canada's emissions are expected to increase again with the economic recovery, fueled largely by the expansion of the oil sands . (Environment Canada 2011). </P> <P> In 2009 Canada signed the Copenhagen Accord, which, unlike the Kyoto Accord, is a non-binding agreement . Canada agreed to reduce its GHG emissions by 17% from its 2005 levels by 2020, which translates to a reduction of 124 Megatonnes (Mt). </P> <P> In December 2011, Ministry of the Environment (Canada) Peter Kent announced Canada's withdrawal from the Kyoto Accord one day after negotiators from nearly 200 countries meeting in Durban, South Africa at the 2011 United Nations Climate Change Conference (November 28--December 11), completed a marathon of climate talks to establish a new treaty to limit carbon emissions. (1)) The Durban talks were leading to a new binding treaty with targets for all countries to take effect in 2020 . </P> <P> Environment minister Peter Kent argued that, "The Kyoto protocol does not cover the world's largest two emitters, the United States and China, and therefore cannot work ." In 2010 Canada, Japan and Russia said they would not accept new Kyoto commitments . Canada is the only country to repudiate the Kyoto Accord . Kent argued that since Canada could not meet targets, it needed to avoid the $14 billion in penalties for not achieving its goals . This decision drew widespread international response . Finally, the cost of compliance has been estimated 20 times lower . States for which the emissions are not covered by the Kyoto Protocol (the US and China) have the largest emissions, being responsible for 41% of the Kyoto Protocol . China's emissions increased by over 200% from 1990 to 2009 . </P>

When did canada withdraw from the kyoto protocol