"We urge you and your government to develop an effective national strategy to deal with the many important aspects of climate that will affect both Canada and the world in the near future," they said in an open letter to the prime minister.

The letter was posted on the website of the Canadian Foundation for Climate and Atmospheric Sciences.

Harper said earlier this month his Conservative government would roll out its "own approaches" that will address both greenhouse gas emissions and other air pollutants, but offered no details.

He lamented Canada had spent "billions of dollars on so-called climate change programs" yet remains far behind other countries in global efforts to reduce CO2 emissions.

"I know the environment minister has been working on this file, has been developing plans, but to be quite blunt about it, I think we're pretty well starting from scratch," Harper said in March.

Last year, Canada was flagged in a UN report on global warming as high on a list of countries most likely to run into difficulty implementing Kyoto commitments.

In 2003, Canada had increased its emissions by 24.2 percent from the base 1990 level, far from its 2012 target of a six percent reduction, according to the report published in November 2005.

The Globe and Mail newspaper, citing secret cabinet documents, reported this month that Harper planned to dramatically slash government spending on climate change programs to help pay for proposed tax cuts.

Harper denied the report, telling reporters his government had only cut a "small number of programs that were scheduled to expire".

Environment Canada later announced 15 such programs were cut.

On Wednesday, Harper said he would consult with Canada's trading partners about climate change strategies and further review Canada's existing programs.

"I have said all along that Canada would not achieve the Kyoto targets. Canada could not achieve them, and that's just the reality, but we do want to make progress," he said.

In their letter, the scientists warned Harper of "increasing impacts" of global warming on Canada's ecosystems, economy and society, citing international research.

They called for immediate government intervention to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and a national strategy to help Canadians adapt to projected climate changes.

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