Subnational Governments Committed to Fight Against Climate Change Gather in San Francisco
Mayors, governors, ministers and other regional leaders from around the world involved in the fight against climate change gathered today for the inaugural Subnational Clean Energy Ministerial (Sub-CEM) in San Francisco.
The meeting on June 1 and June 2 is being held in conjunction with the seventh Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM7), an annual meeting of national energy ministers and other high-level delegates from 23 member countries and the European Commission.
Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. said the fight against climate change needs to continue.
“We have to renew our commitment, deepen our understanding and intensify efforts,” he said.
The inaugural Sub-CEM highlights action from states, provinces and cities to use cleaner energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In addition to Governor Brown, the event featured Oregon Governor Kate Brown, Washington Governor Jay Inslee and other subnational leaders from the United States, Germany, Mexico, Canada, Spain, Italy, China and India.
California Energy Commission Chair Robert B. Weisenmiller welcomed the crowd of more than 250 Sub-CEM attendees.
“As signatories, endorsers and supporters of the Under 2 MOU, we must accelerate the transition to clean energy resources on a rapid scale to achieve the aggressive greenhouse gas reduction goals outlined in this agreement,” Weisenmiller said.
This gathering complements the CEM7, which brings together national energy ministers and other high-level delegates to promote policies and share best practices to accelerate the global transition to clean energy. Both events offer the opportunity to discuss how states, provinces, cities and countries will follow through on the commitments made at the UN Climate Change Conference in Paris.
Sub-CEM is open to subnational jurisdictions that have signed or endorsed the Under 2 MOU agreement, which is a global pact of subnational jurisdictions spearheaded by California and the German state of Baden-Württemberg to limit the increase in global average temperature to below 2 degrees Celsius.
Seven new Under 2 MOU signatories were announced today, including Teleangana, India and Laikipia County, Kenya. With those additions, 135 jurisdictions representing 31 countries and six continents have now signed or endorsed the Under 2 MOU, representing more than 783 million people and $21 trillion in gross domestic product, equivalent to 27 percent of the global economy.
Governor Brown participated in a panel with Oregon Governor Brown, Governor Inslee and British Columbia Environment Minister Mary Polak to discuss the need to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions by transitioning to cleaner fuels and the rapid scaling and expansion of renewable energy worldwide.
The four leaders from the Pacific Coast Collaborative—a partnership between the premier of British Columbia and governors of California, Oregon and Washington— also joined mayors and representatives of six West Coast cities, including San Francisco, Oakland and Los Angeles, to sign an agreement to highlight their commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
