Thank you Sandy. Thank you Obama. Thank you Jacobson.

I really only have gratitude at the moment. When it all sinks in, I’ll probably come up with something more profound.

Let’s be fair to those who are responsible for making Canadians happy: it isn’t easy. That is probably the extent of it… yes there are a diversity of beliefs and priorities, and sometimes they conflict. But that is what they signed up for: a difficult job, in the most difficult century we may yet know as a species.

Canada has an ally in the United States. As a trading partner, among other things. So, as we all work towards transitioning our society to be low carbon and resilient towards climate change, what happens in the US (at times) will signal eventual spillover into our communities. Not to mention the fact that the Government of Canada has been explicit in its approach to align policies and approaches to climate change mitigation with the US.

So thank you, United States of America. Thank you for making it easier for the Canadians holding the levers on climate action. Thank you for sharing your stories of tragedy in the wake of Hurricane Sandy and recognizing it as a harbinger of tribulation. Thank you for leading your citizens and hopefully the world, as you usually do, this time in a direction we desperately need to go.

And finally, thank you, US Ambassador to Canada, David Jacobson, for spelling this out to Canada. You’ve made our job easier.

Obama’s climate change challenge meant for Canada’s ears: ambassador

Heather Scoffield and Mike Blanchfield,  Wednesday, February 13, 2013 5:55 PM

U.S. ambassador to Canada David Jacobson delivers a speech on the impact of the U.S. election on Canadian-American relations, Tuesday, December 4, 2012 in Montreal. The U.S. ambassador to Canada says President Barack Obama’s State of the Union message to act swiftly on climate change should be interpreted as a challenge to Ottawa as well. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz

 OTTAWA – President Barack Obama’s State of the Union message to act swiftly on climate change should be interpreted as a challenge to Ottawa as well, says the U.S. ambassador to Canada.

Obama used Tuesday’s speech to present Congress with a choice: either agree to market-based solutions to climate change, or else the president will use his executive powers to achieve the same result.

In an interview with The Canadian Press, Ambassador David Jacobson said the message to move more aggressively against climate change was meant as much for Canada as it was for the United States.

“We all need to do as much as we can. And that is true in your country and in mine,” Jacobson said.

“Obviously the more that the energy industry – whether it is the oilsands in Canada or the energy industry in the United States, or any place else – the more progress they can make to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, to reduce their consumption of water, to other environmental consequences, the better off we all are.”

Read more on Global News: Global Edmonton | Obama’s climate change challenge meant for Canada’s ears: ambassador