G8 leaders meeting in Italy agreed this week that average global temperatures should not rise more than 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) from pre-industrial times. But Group of Eight member Canada said it will not adjust its plan to combat global warming, despite the fact that it falls short of the new commitment.

Canadian Environment Minister Jim Prentice called his country’s planned reduction of 70 percent by 2050 “realistic,” in contrast to the G8’s number of 80 percent, given “the climate we have, the industrial base we have, our population growth.”

Data collected in 2007 placed Canada as the seventh largest annual emitter of CO2 gases, and a recent study by the German insurer Allianz has found that among major economies they, along with Russia , are making the least progress in combating climate change. In light of this, and the United States ’ newfound commitment to reducing emissions, Canada has assumed “bad boy” status among the G8 countries, according to Bloomberg.

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