The Current

Environment minister, U.S. EPA head share climate strategy

When it comes to fighting climate change, both Canada and the U.S. face an uphill battle. Gina McCarthy, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator (EPA), and Catherine McKenna, the Canadian Environment and Climate Change Minister, join us to talk about their strategies.
Canada's minister of the environment and climate change Catherine McKenna and the administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Gina McCarthy, in our CBC Ottawa studio talking down the line to host, Anna Maria Tremonti. (Matthew Kupfer/CBC)

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Renewables are now at par in many cases with fossil fuels. So you're already seeing a shift towards renewables.- Environment and climate change minister, Catherine McKenna on a low carbon future
Catherine McKenna, minister of the environment and climate change and Gina McCarthy of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, are in Ottawa to work on how they will meet environmental commitments. (Sean Kilpatrick/CP/Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

In March, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and U.S. president Barack Obama announced that they were aiming high, rolling out a wide-ranging joint statement on the environment.

It was a commitment to work closely together, on everything from curbing methane gas emission, to preserving the Arctic; aligning national emissions standards, and implementing the Paris Agreement on climate change.

As a new person coming, it was tremendous to see Canada stepping up to the plate and I think the U.S. and Canada provided significant leadership to get the Paris agreement over the finish line.- Gina McCarthy,  U.S. Environmental Protection Agency administrator

Today representatives of both governments met in Ottawa to get to work on those commitments — hammering out the details of how to meet those expectations. And, no doubt, talking through some of the significant political obstacles to be overcome on both sides of the border.

Gina McCarthy, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) administrator, and Catherine McKenna, the Canadian Environment and Climate Change minister, joined The Current's Anna Maria Tremonti to talk about their challenges and strategies. Both have identified reducing methane emissions as a top priority.

Weigh in on what you want the Canadian and U.S. government to do on climate change.

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This segment was produced by The Current's Julian Uzielli and CBC Ottawa's Matthew Kupfer.