World
Bottom-Up Action on Climate
Without Trump's support, some U.S. states team up with China to curb carbon emissions
By Yu Shujun  ·  2018-09-14  ·   Source: | Web Exclusive
Governor of California Jerry Brown speaks at the press conference launching the Fulfilling America’s Pledge report before the opening of the 2018 Global Climate Action Summit in San Francisco on September 13 (YU SHUJUN)

The State of California will continue its partnership on climate and clean energy with China and its subnational jurisdictions, said Governor Jerry Brown at a press conference before the opening of the 2018 Global Climate Action Summit in San Francisco on September 13.

"We've really carried out a lot with China," said Brown, citing their collaboration on carbon trading systems. Brown signed an agreement with China to work together on reducing emissions on June 6, 2017, right after President Donald Trump's announcement pulling the United States out of the Paris Agreement on curbing global warming.

Brown made the remarks at the launching of the Fulfilling America's Pledge report together with the UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy for Climate Action Michael Bloomberg. In the wake of Trump's decision to pull out of the Paris Agreement, Bloomberg and Brown launched the America's Pledge initiative in July 2017, which seeks to aggregate and quantify the actions by states, cities and businesses and other non-national actors in the United States to drive down their greenhouse gas emissions consistent with the goals of the Paris Agreement. The pair are also among the co-chairs of the two-day summit, which brings together more than 4,000 participants, including government and business leaders, investors and citizens from around the world under the theme Take Ambition to the Next Level.

Governor of California Jerry Brown (left) and UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Climate Action Michael Bloomberg are at the press conference launching the Fulfilling America’s Pledge report before the opening of the 2018 Global Climate Action Summit in San Francisco on September 13 (YU SHUJUN)

The Fulfilling America's Pledge report found that current commitments and market forces will drive U.S. emissions to 17 percent below 2005 levels by 2025, roughly two thirds of the way to the pledge required by the Paris Agreement, which called for reductions of 26-28 percent over that period. "We are already halfway there and I believe we'll make that goal," said Bloomberg.

The report focused mostly on domestic efforts, but it did mention that "continued investment in renewables and clean vehicles by international actors such as China could lead to lower-than-expected technology costs, making these resources more economically attractive to consumers. Other policies and programs enacted by international actors could benefit U.S. abatement, including helping U.S. real economy actors replicate initiatives domestically."

Brown also said, "China is promoting zero-emission vehicles in a very, very important way. It is the biggest market, and the biggest market which keeps ratcheting up the requirement for electric cars and hybrid cars. The American auto industry will have to do that."

China and the other 13 U.S. states following California's lead in adopting rigorous greenhouse gas standards for cars and trucks are united in their efforts, said Brown. "We will continue the partnership."

(Reporting from San Francisco)

Copyedited by Rebeca Toledo

Comments to yushujun@bjreview.com 

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