• Gov. Jerry Brown recently welcomed France, host of the United Nations’ 2015 Paris Climate Conference (COP21), as the latest jurisdiction to join the Under 2 Coalition—the global pact among cities, states, and countries to limit the increase in global average temperature to below 2 degrees Celsius, the level of potentially catastrophic consequences.
“The work ahead is long and arduous and I welcome France to our growing coalition to bring greenhouse gas emissions under control,” Brown said in a statement.
In 2015, California and Baden-Württemberg, Germany, formed the Under 2 Coalition to provide a path for continued action toward an international agreement to reduce emissions ahead of the COP21. Today, a total of 136 jurisdictions representing 32 countries and six continents have signed or endorsed the Under 2 MOU. Together, the Under 2 Coalition represents more than 832 million people and $22 trillion in GDP, which is nearly a third of the global economy.
“The Under 2 MOU is world-wide the largest alliance for climate protection on a subnational level, and France is an important partner for us,” Baden-Württemberg Environment Minister Franz Untersteller said in a statement. “We must work together on all levels to achieve the climate targets that are so important for the future of the Earth’s climate. To have France as a partner with us will boost our regional climate protection efforts.”
Last month, California continued to advance its climate goals as Brown signed legislation that establishes the most ambitious greenhouse gas emission reduction targets in North America, and the nation’s toughest restrictions on destructive super pollutants. The governor also signed legislation that directs cap-and-trade funds to greenhouse-gas-reducing programs that benefit disadvantaged communities, support clean transportation, and protect natural ecosystems.
This action builds on landmark legislation the governor signed in October 2015 to generate half of the state’s electricity from renewable sources by 2030 and double the rate of energy efficiency savings in California buildings. Brown has also committed to reducing today’s petroleum use in cars and trucks by up to 50 percent within the next 15 years; make heating fuels cleaner; and manage farm and rangelands, forests, and wetlands so they can store carbon.
The state is also playing a leading role in broadening collaboration among subnational leaders to reduce climate pollutants across the world.
This article appears in Oct 27 – Nov 3, 2016.