Canadian Ambassador Michael Wilson reflects on our northern neighbor’s commitment to protect a shared environment

Jasper National Park - Athabasca Glacier

As citizens of the world’s second largest country, Canadians act as stewards of vast and diverse ecosystems on behalf of our planet. As neighbors, that stewardship extends to our shared continental environment and is a key part of the deep Canada-U.S. relationship. Canadians and Americans breathe the same air, drink the same water, and share responsibility for ensuring that future generations have a safe, clean, and healthy continent. And that common cause extends to our role as global leaders in protecting our environment.

Climate change shows how leaders are required to deal with issues that have very real, local environmental consequences. For Canada our path forward is clear – addressing climate change by reducing our carbon emissions through domestic, continental, and international action.

To that end, our countries have established a Clean Energy Dialogue to collaborate and innovate, with a view toward advancing technologies and infrastructure that will reduce greenhouse gases and combat climate change. Canada has recently committed over $750 million to clean energy research and demonstration projects, including carbon capture and storage. Working together with our provinces, in particular Saskatchewan and Alberta, Canada has cumulatively set aside roughly $3 billion for advanced research.