Ceres Commends U.S.-Canadian Agreement on Climate and Energy and the Arctic

Mar 10, 2016 2:45 PM ET

March 10, 2016 /3BL Media/ - The nonprofit sustainability advocacy organization Ceres issued the following statement today in support of the announcement by President Obama and Prime Minister Trudeau of Canada on climate, energy and Arctic leadership.

From Mindy Lubber, Ceres president and director of the Investor Network on Climate Risk:

“Stepped up US-Canada collaboration on climate provides a welcome North American boost as the clean energy transition continues to pick up steam globally in the wake of the Paris climate agreement.  Ceres and members of our $13 trillion Investor Network on Climate Risk, as well as our major business coalition Business for Innovative Climate & Energy Policy (BICEP), welcome the commitment to cut methane emissions from the oil and gas industry—the largest industrial source of methane emissions in the U.S.— by 40 to 45 percent below 2012 levels by 2025.

Investors and companies are concerned that methane emissions pose a serious threat to climate stability, accelerating the rate of warming in the near term and threatening infrastructure and economic harm. Curbing this air pollution from existing sources as well as new facilities will help confront climate change while also promoting economic growth and regulatory clarity.

Ceres also applauds President Obama and Prime Minister Trudeau for recognizing the importance of reducing emissions in the transportation sector — including the vehicle and aviation sectors — in meeting climate targets. US-Canadian collaboration on strong climate pollution standards for trucks at the national and international levels, and the joint commitment in support of strong domestic standards for cars and light trucks, will accelerate deployment of clean, efficient transportation technologies and enable achievement of climate targets in this key sector.”

In August 2015, Ceres and Trillium Asset Management brought together investors representing $1.5 trillion in support of a strong federal standard for methane, and members of the BICEP coalition have also voiced strong support for robust greenhouse gas emissions standards.

About Ceres
Ceres is a nonprofit organization mobilizing business and investor leadership on climate change, water scarcity and other sustainability challenges. Ceres directs the Investor Network on Climate Risk (INCR), a network of over 110 institutional investors with collective assets totaling more than $13 trillion.  Ceres also directs Business for Innovative Climate & Energy Policy (BICEP), an advocacy coalition of businesses committed to working with policy makers to pass meaningful energy and climate legislation.  For more information, visit www.ceres.org or follow on Twitter @CeresNews.