Monday, February 9, 2009

The Coming NAFTA Carbon Market

This has been a goal of the Carbóñeros since at least the year Kyoto was negotiated and possibly back to 1992, the year of both the Rio Summit on climate and development and the passage of NAFTA.

President Obama's first foreign visit will be to Ottawa on February 19, you can bet that this is one of the topics that will come up. Although the official line is "
Obama visit to Canada will be short and focused on business", the Chicago Tribune's Swamp blog has some scoopage*:
Obama's Canadian adventure: Feb. 19

Pamela Anderson and Royal Mounties.jpg

Welcoming committee ready? Juno host Pamela Anderson was escorted by Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers at a news conference in Halifax, Nova Scotia, on April 1, 2006. (AP Photo / by Andrew Vaughan)

Okay, that had absolutely nothing to do with President Obama.

On the other hand we had this headline from PointCarbon, Feb. 4:

Mexico aims to advance Nafta carbon market talks: minister

And this, the same day, in Canada's Financial Post:

Canada, U.S. need joint approach to carbon emissions: Study

Just as we saw some fault-lines in "Tech industry, unions at odds over 'stimulus' plan", there will probably be some between the anti-NAFTA folks and the Carbóñistas.

*Scoopage is not a mashup of scoop-neckline and Décolletage. Besides, the word is "décolleté".