EPA chief Pruitt gets message from Canada on sticking to climate deal

EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt spoke with his Canadian counterpart, Environment Minister Catherine McKenna, on Thursday and for the most part discussed a number of areas where they are seeking collaborative ties on the environment, according to a readout of the call.

The only part of the call that seemed to conflict with Trump’s agenda was when McKenna declared that Canada will be sticking to its commitments under the Paris climate change deal. Trump has vowed to withdraw from the deal in his first 100 days in office.

“They agreed on the importance of protecting the environment while growing the economy and creating middle-class jobs,” but “Minister McKenna emphasized Canada’s commitment to meet its obligations under the Paris Agreement, address climate change, and to take advantage of the economic opportunity offered by the global market shift toward clean growth,” the Canadian embassy said in the readout of the call.

The Paris agreement was signed onto by nearly 200 nations in 2015 and ratified at the United Nations last year in a non-binding accord that obligates nations to take actions to cut greenhouse gas emissions. Many scientists blame carbon dioxide emissions from the burning of fossil fuels for raising the temperature of the Earth, resulting in more catastrophic weather events. The agreement seeks to stop the Earth’s temperature from rising 2 degrees over the next decade.

McKenna and Pruitt agreed to meet soon for further discussions.

The phone call follows reports that Trump’s advisers, including his eldest daughter, Ivanka, and her husband, Jared Kushner, are pressing Trump to rein in his criticism of the Paris climate change agreement.

Nevertheless, administration officials said Trump is planning to roll back EPA’s Clean Power Plan next week in a forthcoming executive order. The EPA plan is the centerpiece of the U.S. plan to meet its obligations under the U.N.-approved climate change agreement.