Any recent comments made regarding Canadians and high- ranking greenhouse gas emissions can only really mean something — if they are considered on a per capita basis, that is, per person. It is also true that we have a very large, spread-out country requiring a lot of transportation, and also a lot of cold weather, requiring lots of space heating, facts our MP Colin Mayes refers to.
However it seems to me that a major point is missed in most discussion found in print, that the atmosphere and the sun’s rays do not adhere to our national boundaries. The gases of concern are mixing in the atmosphere continuously, all over the globe. It is what geographers refer to as a “common property resource” and it belongs to us all equally on a per capita basis.
So the concept that Canadians ought to limit their emission reductions in order to maintain a “competitive advantage” in the international marketplace is, well, I will let the reader add their own adjective. Every citizen of the planet who breathes has a contribution to make, reasonably based on personal lifestyle, necessary or otherwise.
A primarily economic rationale for the task of emission reductions, if applied all around the globe, would of course, result in little change, and Canadians ought to be one of the leaders in this scientifically proven necessity, not saying, “well, we will if you will.” A rather childish approach don’t you think, considering the potential consequences?
There is no such thing as Canadian air.
Bill Lytle-McGhee