Trudeau, Obama unveil steps for cutting methane, safeguarding Arctic

[bemildred]

Source: WaPo

President Obama and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Thursday announced they would seek a 40 to 45 percent reduction in methane emissions below 2012 levels by the oil and gas industry by 2025, and to meet that commitment both governments said they would regulate emissions from existing sources, not just new wells.

The Environmental Protection Agency will begin drafting regulations immediately, according to a joint statement from the two leaders.

The oil and gas industry is the single largest source of methane emissions in the United States and globally. Mark Brownstein, vice president of climate and energy at the Environmental Defense Fund, said the proposed cut in emissions of methane, a potent greenhouse gas, would be like closing a third of the world’s coal plants.

“This is arguably the single biggest, most impactful, most immediate thing we can do to slow the rate of warming right now,” Brownstein said.

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/trudeau-obama-to-unveil-measures-for-safeguarding-arctic/2016/03/09/dd725fbc-e639-11e5-bc08-3e03a5b41910_story.html

[2naSalit]

1. Good.

Thanks for posting.

[bemildred]

3. Very good. nt

[bemildred]

2. Here's Why Obama's New Pact With Canada Is a Big Deal

President Barack Obama and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced a new plan to collaborate on climate change Thursday morning. The two leaders pledged to tackle previously unregulated sources of greenhouse gas emissions and promising better conservation of the Arctic.

The plan represents an important evolution in the two countries' bilateral foreign policy on climate. That policy has become significantly more ambitious since Trudeau took the helm in November from longtime PM Stephen Harper, who was widely seen as an obstacle to climate action and a booster of Canada's oil industry.

Trudeau, by contrast, has tried to reposition Canada as a leader on climate, not an easy feat for one of the world's largest oil producers. He campaigned on promises to end fossil fuel subsidies and invest in clean energy. He made a strong showing at the Paris climate talks in December and followed that up with a proposal for a national price on carbon emissions. Although he supported building the Keystone XL pipeline, he seemed to take it in stride when the Obama administration turned the project down. Last week, Trudeau announced a plan to help his country's provincial governments—which hold a larger relative share of power compared to state governments in the US—coordinate on clean energy.

Overall, Trudeau's administration has so looked like a 180-degree turn from his predecessor, said Erin Flanagan, director of federal policy at the Pembina Institute, a leading Canadian environmental group.

http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2016/03/heres-why-obamas-new-pact-canada-big-deal

[maxsolomon]

4. "What can I do to sabotage this?"

-Every Republican in America