The Windsor Review of Legal and Social Issues is publishing a special volume on Canadian and international environmental law, and to bring an American perspective, I was asked to write a short introductory article. Titled "Canada-United States Transboundary Environmental Protection" the brief article surveys the major environmental treaties, agreements, and legal decisions that have shaped one of the best international environmental relationships in the world. Yet the real value of the countries’ historical and recent successes is still to be seen in how they address the massive challenge of climate change. From the article’s conclusion:
These recent successes in environmental protection and cooperation [such as the Great Lakes Compact and companion Agreement] give reason for optimism that Canada and the United States can together address the greatest environmental challenge of our time – climate change. The two countries have much to lose from the impacts of climate change and much to gain from leading a global transformation from fossil fuels to clean energy. They have the resources, both natural and human, to develop new technologies based on wind, solar, and other renewable sources of energy. Most importantly, both countries have a strong tradition of environmental stewardship and an energized and engaged citizenry that will demand nothing short of success in meeting the challenge of climate change. Canada and the United States led the way in developing international environmental law in the twentieth century, and to solve the global problem of climate change, they must lead again in the twenty-first century.