Outgoing U.S. Vice President Joe Biden is urging Canadian leaders to continue to treat efforts to combat climate change urgently despite the incoming administration of Donald Trump.
Biden told Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Canada’s provincial premiers Friday that whatever uncertainty exists surrounding Trump’s policies, he is confident the United States will continue to make progress on a low-carbon future. He says that’s because many of the trends are market driven and have already taken hold and because states are taking action.
Trump has called global warming a “hoax” and says he plans to abandon the U.S. commitment to reduce carbon emissions as part of the international agreement signed last year in Paris.
Trudeau is working on a national carbon-pricing plan with the provinces, but there are worries about the U.S. heading in the opposite direction.
