By Robert Melnbardis MONTREAL, Nov 14 (Reuters) - A Canadian cabinet minister insisted on Tuesday that Ottawa has not abandoned the Kyoto Protocol, but he reiterated the Conservative government's position that the country cannot meet its emissions targets. Industry Minister Maxime Bernier told a business luncheon that the previous Liberal government's commitment under the U.N plan to cut greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions to 6 percent below 1990 levels by 2008-12 was impossible to meet. Canada's emissions today are 27 percent higher than 1990 levels, Bernier said, in large part because the booming oil and gas industry is developing at a rapid rate. "It was entirely predictable that Canadian GHG emissions would go up, if only because of oil," said Bernier. "We live in a world that is thirsty for oil. We just can't turn off the tap." Greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, produced largely from burning fossil fuels, trap heat in the earth's atmosphere and are blamed for global warming. Last month, the minority Conservative government proposed clean air legislation that ignored the protocol and promised to impose binding cuts only by 2020-25. That sparked criticisms from opposition parties and environmental groups who accused Ottawa of abandoning Kyoto in favor of long-term emissions targets that are not practical and don't address concerns about global climate change. Bernier's comments came as 189 countries, including Canada, gathered in Nairobi for annual talks on fighting climate change. Bernier said it was the Liberals who hurt Canada's international reputation on environmental issues by committing to emissions standards that at least one internal government report said could not be met. "Continuing to insist that Canada could meet its objectives was nothing more than a con game," Bernier said. The minister added that under the Conservatives' anti-pollution plan, specific emissions targets for industry, including the oil, automotive, pulp and paper, and chemical sectors, will be unveiled before the end of this year. In the automotive industry, a target to reduce emissions by 5.3 megatonnes by 2010 will become mandatory. "This achievement will mean the equivalent of a million fewer cars on our roads," Bernier said. Recent polls show that concern about the environment is one of the key issues for Canadian voters and could affect the outcome of the next election, widely expected next year.
