Obama, Trudeau agree on climate change efforts

WASHINGTON, March 10 (UPI) -- Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and President Barack Obama agreed Thursday to step up the fight against climate change, including cutting carbon emissions and developing clean sources of energy.

Obama and Trudeau, in the first official visit of a Canadian leader to the United States in 19 years, agreed to work together to implement "as soon as feasible" the climate agreement signed in Paris last year. They also agreed to reduce methane emissions from its largest industrial source, the oil and gas sector. The commitment includes reducing methane emissions from the oil and gas sector 40-45 percent by 2025.

Obama and Trudeau also pledged to cooperate to preserve the Arctic, with a focus on biodiversity, indigenous science, science-based decision making and building a sustainable Arctic economy.

"Canada and the United States share the same values, the same origins, and the same space. We face many of the same challenges, and we are all better off when we tackle them together," Trudeau said during a joint press conference.

The collaboration agreement comes as Trudeau, his wife Sophie Grégoire-Trudeau and their children begin their Washington, D.C., trip.

On Thursday night, some 200 guests are expected at a White House state dinner in honor of Trudeau with a menu that includes Alaskan halibut casseroles, maple pecan cake and butterscotch swirl ice cream.