California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty announced plans on Wednesday to join forces to advance stem cell research and curb global warming.
"Today, Canada's most populous province and America's most populous state have joined together to tackle one of our greatest challenges," said McGuinty at Toronto's Medical and Related Sciences (MaRS) Center, outlining Ontario's plans for stringent new fuel standards, in line with California rules.
The province would require carbon emissions from transportation fuels to be cut by 10 percent by 2020 — like taking 700,000 cars from the roads.
"Together, California and Ontario are taking action on climate change and doing our part to lead the world in innovative technologies and policies that would drastically cut our greenhouse gas emissions," McGuinty said.
Schwarzenegger added, "California is reaching out and is trying to get as many partners on board" its carbon dioxide emissions reduction initiative, currently the toughest in North America.
McGuinty also pledged C$30 million (US$28 million) to support a new cancer stem cell consortium to be headquartered at the MaRS research center in Toronto, which will collaborate with the University of California Berkeley Stem Cell Center.
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