Environmental Concerns Advancing North American Integration

The Security and Prosperity Partnership (SPP) has essentially been rendered inactive, yet many of its key priorities such as energy integration were part of the agenda at the recent North American Leaders' Summit held in Guadalajara, Mexico on Aug 9-10. Environmental concerns are being used to further advance North American integration and the U.S., Canada and Mexico have committed to a more continental approach in combating climate change.

In the North American Leaders' Declaration on Climate Change and Clean Energy it states, “We stress that the experience developed during the last 15 years in the North American region on environmental cooperation, sustainable development, and clean energy research, development, and deployment constitutes a valuable platform for climate change action, and we resolve to make use of the opportunities offered by existing bilateral and trilateral institutions.” The leaders offered a shared vision for a low-carbon North America and the importance of taking aggressive action on climate change, including better cooperation in reducing emissions. In conclusion, it says, “In order to facilitate these actions, we will work cooperatively to develop and follow up on a Trilateral Working Plan and submit a report of results at our next North American Leaders Summit in 2010.”

A more North American strategy in regards to climate change is moving forward. This includes coordination of an emissions trading system. It is also expected that a new version of the Canadian government's climate change plan will be released this fall which will be more comparable to U.S. efforts. In a recent article from the Wall Street Journal, one of the creators of the cap-and trade concept, Thomas Crocker says that he is now, “skeptical that cap-and-trade is the most effective way to go about regulating carbon." Many critics of a cap-and-trade system argue that it could further damage the economy and lead to millions of jobs being lost.