Ecojustice and Friends of the Earth have filed suit in federal court seeking immediate action by the Harper government to uphold the Kyoto Protocol Implementation Act, a private-member’s bill that became law in June.

Last month, the Conservatives presented their own plan to shave greenhouse-gas emissions by six per cent below 1990 levels, but not until after 2020. The plan reflects Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s view that meeting Kyoto targets by 2012 was not realistic and would cripple the Canadian economy.

But Friends of the Earth chief executive Beatrice Olivastri said the Tories’ plan not only falls short of Kyoto requirements but also amounts to an illegal act.