Bill aims at greener Nova Scotia by 2020

Nova Scotia's Conservative government has introduced legislation it says should create one of the cleanest and most sustainable environments in the world by 2020.

The Environmental Goals and Sustainable Prosperity Act, introduced Thursday by Environment Minister Mark Parent,sets 21 targets for making the province more environmentally healthy.

They include a reduction in greenhouse-gas emissions, new building standards and a minimum level for the amount of electricity that has to be generated by renewable energy production.

Parentgave few specifics, but did say the province is planning to "follow the lead of California" by introducing tough tailpipe emission standards for motor vehicles by 2010.

The province wants to lower greenhouse-gas emissions to 10 per cent lower than 1990 levels, which is 35 per cent lower than today's levels.

That would exceed the goals laid out for Canada and other countriesin the international Kyoto Protocol, which was was adopted in late 1997 to address the problem of global warming by reducing the world's greenhouse-gas emissions.

Under the obligations of the protocol, whichthe federal Conservative government has since indicated Canada won't be able to meet, setout an agenda for reducingemissions by 5.2 per cent from 1990 levels by 2008 to 2012.

The proposed Nova Scotialegislation also aims at preventingthe net loss of wetlands by 2009.

Other targets already announced include having12 per cent of the province's total landdesigned as protected areas, and havingrenewable energy make up 18.5 per cent of its energy production.

Parent said the law proposed Thursday would givecabinet the right to impose new deposit fees and limits on the amount of garbage that can be generated.

He said those measures would be used if necessary to reach the targets.

"It is our goal to be internationally recognized by 2020 as having one of the cleanest and most sustainable environments in the world. It is, I will confess, an ambitious goal, but big ideas inspire big achievements."