Friday, March 29, 2024

Canada and U.S. environmental leaders renew commitment to preserving North American Environment

Following successful meetings on a range of environmental issues in Ottawa, Canada’s Environment and Climate Change Minister Catherine McKenna and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Gina McCarthy jointly renewed their countries’ commitment to combating climate change.

“We know neither environmental nor economic issues respect borders,” McKenna and McCarthy said in a joint statement. “That is why Canada and the United States have a long history of working together to protect our shared environment. We face many of the same challenges, and we make better progress environmentally and economically when we address those challenges together.”

The meetings included talks with Inuit leaders, discussions with industry leaders and a town hall meeting with academics and environmental organizations at the University of Ottawa. McKenna and McCarthy’s interactions built upon the groundwork laid by an earlier meeting between President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

“Today we focused on what unites us, namely the ways we will move forward to implement the methane emission reduction measures announced earlier this month, and how we can deepen our coordination and work more closely with Mexico to achieve greater North American collaboration on energy and the environment,” the leaders stated. “By virtue of our shared border and mutual commitment to preserving and protecting our environment, we look forward to many more joint environmental achievements. And by working together, we hope to create real and positive momentum globally in the fight on climate change.”