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Our Shared Environment

Canadians and Americans breathe the same air, drink the same water, and share the same responsibility to ensure that future generations have a safe, clean and healthy continent..

Stewardship of our shared environment is a key element of the Canada-U.S. relationship as our countries work together to anticipate and address environmental challenges.

Canada and the United States have at least 50 federal bilateral arrangements concerning the environment, and over 100 arrangements at the state and provincial level.

For more information

Climate Change

Canada and the United States understand that climate change poses a serious threat to our continent and the world. We agree that it is a global problem that requires global solutions. Canada is committed to fighting climate change and reducing greenhouse gas emissions internationally and domestically. We will play an active role in negotiations to develop a new post-2012 international agreement on climate change with contributions from all major emitters.

Canada’s goal is a reduction of 20% by 2020

The Canadian government has set an ambitious goal of reducing Canada’s greenhouse gases in absolute terms by 20% by 2020 (compared with 2006 levels). By 2010, when these regulations come into force, large companies must have reduced their emission intensity by 18%. For each and every year after that, they will have to reduce it by a further 2%.

The emission intensity approach ties the emission reduction targets to production. This allows emission reductions to be achieved while accommodating economic growth.

Oil sands and electricity are the greatest challenges

  • The Canada-U.S. energy relationship is the world’s largest and most comprehensive. The United States imports more oil and natural gas from Canada than from any other country, and Canada exports more oil and gas to the United States than anywhere else. Our electricity grids are fully integrated.

  • The new regulations include strong measures aimed at key emitting sectors: oil sands and electricity. The oil sands industry is Canada’s fastest growing source of emissions, while the electricity sector is the single largest emitter. In addition to already significant efforts to minimize the environmental footprint of existing facilities, Canada will require new oil sands plants starting operations in 2012 or after to implement full carbon capture and storage or equivalent technology, and will end the construction of new dirty coal plants starting in 2012.

  • Canada is developing a program to reduce emissions even further by 2020 through increased hydro, renewable and nuclear electricity production, and through further development of the national grid.

Action in other areas

Broader actions will include regulation of the automobile sector, including increased use of biofuels; strengthening of energy efficiency standards for appliances and buildings; investment in public transit; and greater promotion of renewable energy like wind, solar and tidal power.

Further information

Additional details about how the government will move forward with its plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions are available at Environment Canada’s website.

Water

More than 300 rivers and lakes (including some of the largest in the world) lie along, or flow across, the border between Canada and the United States. Our two countries have a history of effective cooperation on water-related environmental issues.

Boundary Waters Treaty

The Boundary Waters Treaty—signed in 1909 by the United Kingdom, for Canada, and by the United States—set the pattern for joint stewardship of our shared environment by establishing principles and procedures for preventing or settling disputes. The International Joint Commission is the signal achievement of the treaty. 

International Joint Commission

The Commission, or IJC as it is often known, is an independent binational organization, created in recognition of the fact that each country is affected by the other’s actions along the border. Since its inception, the IJC has overseen water quantity and quality in boundary waters, as well as assisting in dispute resolution.

What does the IJC do?

  1. The IJC reviews and makes decisions on applications to build and operate projects in boundary waters and in rivers that flow across the boundary.

  2. At the request of the two federal governments, the IJC examines and provides non-binding recommendations on transboundary issues.

Who are the members of the IJC?

There are six members and 20 advisory boards.

  1. Three members are appointed by the President of the United States, with the advice and approval of the Senate.

  2. Three members are appointed by the Governor in Council of Canada, on the advice of the Prime Minister.

  3. The 20 advisory boards are made up of experts from the United States and Canada.

Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement

The Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement (1972), building on the Boundary Waters Treaty, marked a region-specific commitment by both countries to maintain the ecological integrity of the Great Lakes. It has been amended over the last 30 years, and in 1997 the two governments signed the Binational Toxics Strategy seeking the virtual elimination of certain toxic substances in the Great Lakes basin.

As a result of this agreement, and the oversight if the IJC, the Great Lakes are cleaner now than they have been for 50 years.

In 2007, Canada and the United States completed a binational review of the operation and effectiveness of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement. The two governments have also involved the IJC in this review of the regulation of levels and flows in the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River system.

100th Anniversary of the IJC

2009 will be a special year for the IJC as it marks its 100th anniversary of serving Canada and the United States in cross-border water management.

Air Quality

Air pollution affects the health of all of us and does not respect boundaries.

The Canada-United States Air Quality Agreement was signed in 1991 to address air pollution leading to acid rain. Both countries agreed to reduce emissions of sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides, the primary precursors to acid rain, and to work together on acid rain-related scientific and technical cooperation. Further bilateral work is under way to enhance our cooperation on these and other air quality issues, such as control over airborne particulate matter.

The International Joint Commission, in addition to its work on bilateral water issues, plays a role in investigating and reporting on air pollution in boundary regions.

Fisheries

Canada is committed to the sustainable management of our fisheries resources—as well as marine, coastal and freshwater environments—through conservation and sustainable resource practices.

Canada and the United States share many fish stocks that move back and forth across the boundary. In order to manage these valuable resources, Canada and the United States have worked to ensure cooperative stock management and enhancement through a comprehensive set of agreements (e.g. for Pacific salmon, halibut, tuna, hake and whiting).

Canada and the United States also work closely together to prevent illegal fishing and enforce compliance with international fishing agreements. The two countries work together through in a number of multilateral fisheries organizations, including the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization and the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas.

For more information:

Protecting our Wildlife

Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (The Arctic Refuge)

The Porcupine caribou herd traditionally calves on the coastal plain of the Arctic Refuge in Alaska. There are continuing pressures to drill for oil and gas in this sensitive region. Canadian and U.S. indigenous peoples depend on the herd for subsistence and cultural needs. Canada would therefore prefer that the United States provide permanent protection to the area, as Canada has already done in critical portions of the herd’s range in this country. This is consistent with commitments made by both countries in the Canada-U.S. Agreement on the Conservation of the Porcupine Caribou Herd (1987).

The Arctic Refuge in Alaska boasts one of the largest remaining complete ecosystems on the planet and is highly sensitive to any development. It has an array of arctic and subarctic habitats and hosts a wide variety of plants and animals. It is home to numerous bird species, Dall sheep, muskoxen, wolves, polar bears and grizzly bears. The biological heart of the Arctic Refuge is a narrow 1.5-million-acre (0.8-million-hectare) coastal plain, the so-called “1002 lands,” extending from the foothills of the Brooks Range some 25-30 kilometres to the edge of the Arctic Ocean.

Backgrounder: Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

The 1980 Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act called for the conservation of fish and wildlife populations and habitats in their natural diversity and created, among other things, one of the largest wildlife refuges in the United States, the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (Arctic Refuge). The Arctic Refuge's 19 million acres (7.6 million hectares) are located in northeastern Alaska, north of the Arctic Circle and 1,300 miles (2,000 kilometres) south of the North Pole.

Of particular concern to Canada is the 123,000-strong Porcupine caribou herd, which migrates almost 400 miles (about 650 kilometres) each year from the Yukon to the coastal plain to calve and graze on the rich vegetation in preparation for winter. In fact, this narrow coastal plain is the principal calving area for the Caribou herd, with an average of 40,000 calves born there annually.

Also under threat is the livelihood of the Gwich’in people in Alaska and Canada, who have relied on the Porcupine caribou herd for some 12,000 years. Their traditional way of life is dependent upon the health of the Porcupine caribou herd. They hold the calving grounds to be sacred and are united in their desire to protect these sensitive areas. The protection of the Porcupine caribou herd and the possible effects on the Gwich’in people resulting from a deterioration of the herd’s number constitute both an environmental and a socio-economic concern to Canada. Because the herd’s migration route extends across the Canada-U.S. border, this concern also extends beyond the border to the calving grounds in Alaska.

Porcupine Caribou Herd

In 1987, Canada and the United States signed the Agreement on the Conservation of the Porcupine Caribou Herd. The Agreement committed Canada and the United States to refrain from activities that would damage the herd. The Government of Canada has since reaffirmed this long-standing policy by, among other things, providing permanent wilderness status through the establishment of Ivvavik and Vuntut National Parks in northern Yukon. These parks provide permanent protection from development to the portion of the calving grounds located in the Yukon.

Canada maintains that the “1002 lands” are of critical importance to the Porcupine caribou herd and to the Gwich'in people. Canada continues to urge the United States to provide the same permanent wilderness protection to its portion of the calving grounds as Canada provides to its part.

Species at Risk Act (SARA)

The goal of the SARA is to prevent species in Canada from becoming extinct as a consequence of human activity. The loss of species affects us all and can have unforeseen consequences for our ecosystems. Throughout the world, species are becoming endangered at an alarming rate. There are currently 340 species classified as being at risk in Canada, and in a country as vast and diverse as ours, no one government can protect all species and their habitats by acting alone. Protecting species is a shared responsibility between governments and with all Canadians. Since 1996, federal, provincial and territorial jurisdictions have been actively implementing the Accord for the Protection of Species at Risk.

Migratory Birds

The conservation of migratory birds is the joint responsibility of the countries they visit during the breeding, migration and non-breeding seasons. Recognition of this has led to the development of international treaties to protect these birds, such as the Canada-U.S. Migratory Birds Convention (1916), and to the formation of such mechanisms as the Canadian Wildlife Service’s Latin American Program, establishing linkages among countries who share migratory populations. It has also led to multi-partner programs to promote the conservation of migratory birds and their habitats, such as the North American Waterfowl Management Plan, the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network, the North American Bird Conservation Initiative, Partners in Flight—U.S. (Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Program) and Partners in Flight—Canada (Canadian Landbird Conservation Program).

Seals

Sealing, a long tradition in Canada’s coastal communities, is a sustainable hunt managed using the framework of the precautionary approach, with quotas set annually based on peer-reviewed scientific advice. The current population of harp seals in Canada is an estimated 5.5 million—triple what it was in the early 1970s—and one million harp seals are born each year. The management of Canada’s seal hunt is supported by comprehensive regulations, monitoring and enforcement. Sealing may only be conducted using recognized humane methods recommended by the Independent Veterinarians’ Working Group.

Date Modified: 2008-12-19

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