In reaction to today’s announcement of a joint US - Canada statement on steps to advance climate, energy, and arctic leadership, Heather Coleman, Oxfam America’s climate change policy manager, made the following statement:
"Today's announcement by Prime Minister Trudeau and President Obama demonstrate their commitment to accelerate the shift from fossil fuels to sustainable renewable energy sources, as well as addressing emissions from highly potent “super pollutants” like Black Carbon and Methane. It is important that the two leaders have signaled the need to respect and promote the rights of indigenous people as we invest in climate solutions.
"Poor communities, and women in particular, are already being hit first and worst from the impacts of climate change. Even if all of the emissions reduction commitments that countries put on the table in Paris are achieved, we will still experience a world with 3 degrees of warming. Additional and deepened bilateral commitments like this, and their sustained implementation, will help us all avoid the most disastrous climate scenarios."