Governors, premiers pledge co-operation during climate emergencies
New England governors and Eastern Canadian premiers pass resolution Monday at meeting in Charlottetown

cbc.ca
Aug. 28, 2017

New England governors have reached an agreement with premiers from the Atlantic provinces and Quebec to work together to respond to climate emergencies in the region.

The governors and premiers passed a resolution during a meeting Monday in Charlottetown.

P.E.I. Premier Wade MacLauchlan said the devastation from Hurricane Harvey highlights the need for co operation during extreme weather events.

"Indeed the comment was made earlier today that Canadians were among the first to respond when Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans, and Americans were among the first to respond when we suffered the ice storm in 1998," said MacLauchlan.

"We've recognized the current challenges being faced by the people of Texas and the Houston area. And we send our thoughts and prayers and indeed [are] very ready to send other assistance as appropriate."

Previous agreement will be updated

An agreement reached almost 20 years ago allows for mutual assistance from provinces and states in the region during any disaster.

That agreement will now be updated to reflect risks posed by climate change.

The provinces and states also pledged to share climate science along with information about how to adapt, and say they'll work together on projects to protect people and infrastructure from extreme climate events.