U.S. and Canadian Environmental Leaders Join Forces

For the first time, CEOs from 30 environmental groups based in the United States and Canada have agreed to work together to address key environmental problems threatening both countries.

Following a meeting near Washington D.C. on June 2, the coalition issued a declaration (available at the link below) calling on U.S. and Canadian governments to take numerous stepst to protect the environment, including declaring a moratorium on expansion of tar sands development and on industrial fishing and development in the Arctic Ocean.

Their collaboration parallels the emerging threats that intertwine Canadian and American economic and environmental health. The groups will also work in partnership during the international climate negotiations in Copenhagen later this year.

"The United States and Canada, with their closely linked financial markets and shared natural resources, must work together to create 21st-century clean energy economies that will put people back to work and benefit our environment," Frances Beinecke, President of the Natural Resources Defense Council, said.

"Our countries face a series of joint-challenges–from the devastation and pollution caused by tar sands oil to the melting Arctic to the need to shift to a clean energy future. With federal climate legislation gaining momentum in the United States and with some Canadian provinces taking important climate initiatives, now is the time for our two countries to come together as we seek international action on climate change. We hope our joint declaration can serve as a guide as we move to an international climate treaty later this year."

Dr. Rick Smith, Executive Director of Environmental Defence Canada, said: "It’s never been clearer that economic solutions and environmental solutions are one and the same. Governments in both Canada and the U.S. must seize this opportunity to create good green jobs through innovative initiatives that move us quickly toward a new energy economy."

Other U.S. and Canadian participants include the heads of the following organizations: Environment America, Friends of the Earth, National Audubon Society, League of Conservation Voters, Environmental Defense Fund, Sierra Club, Canadian Wildlife Federation, Greenpeace Canada, David Suzuki Foundation, and Ecojustice.