GNWT to sign climate change statement at Climate Summit of the Americas

TORONTO, ON (July 8, 2015) – The Government of the Northwest Territories will be a signatory to the Climate Summit of the Americas Common Statement. Minister of Environment and Natural Resources J. Michael Miltenberger will sign the Common Statement on behalf of the Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) at the Climate Summit in Toronto, Ontario tomorrow.

“The Government of the Northwest Territories is pleased to sign the Common Statement, which commits participating governments to take actions supporting international efforts to limit the increase in global temperature to below 2 degrees Celsius,” said Minister Miltenberger. “It is critical that we participate in these important discussions, as the North is experiencing some of the fastest warming of any region in the world. The exponential impacts of climate change on the North combines with factors like the high cost of energy and limited infrastructure to present challenges to the sustainability of rural and remote Northern communities.”

Signatories to the Common Statement also agree to:

• Allow flexibility for locally determined action and approaches, including actions identified in the Northwest Territories Greenhouse Gas Strategy;
• Adopt emission reduction targets and publicly report on progress;
• Work towards the long-term objective of a carbon price applied throughout the global economy that considers each country’s different circumstances and priorities; and,
• Enhance cooperation to share information and expertise on various carbon readiness platforms.

“Previous studies have indicated that our high energy prices already create an effective carbon pricing mechanism by leading consumers to make efficiency upgrades or to switch to renewable energy sources,” added Minister Miltenberger.  “As more of the global economy adopts carbon pricing mechanisms, we need to be at the table to understand the potential implications for our economy.”

The Climate Summit is an invitation-only event for Pan-American jurisdictions, environmental groups and industry designed to strengthen cooperation among participants in working towards common approaches for addressing  climate change.

Backgrounders:
Q and A – Carbon Pricing
Backgrounder – Climate Change Actions

Media inquiries:

Roya Grinsted
Cabinet Communications
Government of the Northwest Territories
Tel: (867) 669-2308
Email: roya_grinsted@gov.nt.ca

NT5