海角大神

Obama and Trudeau: The world's next climate change duo?

In a historic US visit by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Canada and the United States team up as a climate change force to be reckoned with. 

Standing at twin podiums in front of the White House Thursday morning, President Barack Obama and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made their debut as climate change鈥檚 new dynamic duo.聽

In a rollout of , Obama and Trudeau commit to protecting 17 of land areas and 10 percent of marine areas by 2020. They also plan to regulate fisheries in the Central Arctic Oceans to ensure sustainable populations and encourage low impact shipping corridors.聽

But most importantly, they plan to seriously decrease their countries鈥� methane emissions, a byproduct of the oil and gas industries and a top polluting greenhouse gas.聽聽

鈥淭o set us on an ambitious and achievable path, the leaders commit to reduce methane emissions by from the oil and gas sector, and explore new opportunities for additional methane reductions,鈥� reads a US-Canada joint statement from the White House.聽

So what does this mean?

鈥淚t鈥檚 huge,鈥� Drew Nelson, Environmental Defense Fund鈥檚 senior manager of natural gas, tells the 海角大神 Science Monitor in a phone interview Thursday. 鈥淲hat they鈥檝e announced today is a significant down payment on global action and hopefully it will pave the way for other countries to follow suit. This shines a huge spotlight on the value and impact that these reductions can have globally.鈥�

In their joint press release, the United States and Canada extend a special invitation to their fellow North American comrade Mexico. The US and Canada are the second and fourth largest methane emitters respectively, and Mexico is close behind at number five.聽

If the US, Canada and Mexico all had a 45 percent reduction in oil and gas methane emissions, it would reduce the world鈥檚 overall methane output from oil and gas by 10 percent 鈥� equivalent to closing over 100 coal power plants.聽

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) already addressed methane emissions from the oil and gas sector last summer 鈥� but only from new and modified sources. However to reach the ambitious goal set by Obama and Trudeau Thursday, all oil and gas sources in the US 鈥� new or old 鈥� will be monitored for methane emissions.聽

鈥淭here are hundreds of thousands of existing oil and gas sources across our country; some emit small amounts of methane, ,鈥� EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy says in a press release Thursday. 鈥淚 am pleased and proud to fulfill President Obama鈥檚 commitment to reduce methane emissions and join our Canadian colleagues in the continued fight against climate change.鈥�

Thursday鈥檚 bold goals are not the first time the bordering countries have worked together for environmental means. In 1991, the two countries signed to address air pollution and acid rain.

鈥淏ut that was focused on local air quality,鈥� explains Nelson. 鈥淭his is on global climate change. So whether or not you emit methane in Canada, the US or Timbuktu, its going to have the same impact on the climate.鈥�

And even without the ambitious climate goals, Thursday鈥檚 press conference was memorable.聽

鈥淲e are very proud to welcome the first official visit by a Canadian prime minister ," Obama joked Thursday morning to a laughing crowd.聽"It鈥檚 about time, eh?鈥澛�

[Editor's note: The original story was updated to more accurately reflect the reduction in overall methane output]