The day the Kyoto protocol came into effect, an editorial appeared in the Chronicle-Herald (No reason to celebrate, 16 February), proposing that in order to protect Canada's competitiveness, "The best course might be to abandon Kyoto altogether and stick to our own strategy"

And which strategy might that be?

The one proposed by Prime Minister Mulroney at the 1988 Toronto World Conference on the Changing Atmosphere that was to see 20 percent emissions reduction by 2005? Or prior to the 1992 Rio Earth Summit, when Canada's plan was to stabilize emissions at 1990 levels by 2000? Or perhaps the Climate Change Action Plan signed by Premier Hamm in August 2001 with other eastern Canadian Premiers and New England Governors, promising to stabilize regional emissions at 1990 levels by 2010 and reducing emissions by at least 10 percent below 1990 emissions by 2020? Or even Canada's do-nothing strategy that has resulted in emissions increasing by 20 percent over 1990 levels?

Regardless of whether Kyoto or some other strategy is adopted, some hard choices will have to be made, since it's not only Canada's competitiveness that is at stake.

Published 25 February 2005 - Chronicle-Herald