Donald Trump’s decision last week to pull the United States out of the Paris climate agreement has stirred plenty of criticism, both at home and abroad. The latter wasn’t all that surprising, but domestic responses to the White House’s diplomatic kerfuffle has ranged from the Weather Channel’s online trolling to cities like Pittsburgh declaring their intention to adhere to the abandoned international agreement nonetheless. And then there’s Jerry Brown, the Democratic governor of California, who just signed a new, nonbinding agreement with China to combat the ill effects of climate change.
According to The Hill, the pact aims to encourage cooperation between the state and the country in order to develop “renewable energy, zero-emission vehicles and low-carbon urban development.” These and other projects tasked with cutting carbon emissions would result, the agreement contends, from the efforts of a joint working group staffed by Chinese and California officials committed to investing in relevant programs.
“California is the leading economic state in America and we are also the pioneering state on clean technology, cap and trade, electric vehicles and batteries, but we can’t do it alone,” Brown said in a statement after signing the agreement during a meeting with with Chinese Minister of Science and Technology Wan Gang. “We need a very close partnership with China, with your businesses, with your provinces, with your universities.” No word yet on whether this will add to recent talk of the so-called “Calexit,” though such comments won’t be too surprising given previous Trump-related instances.
Brown is heading to Beijing to attend the Under2 Clean Energy Forum on Wednesday. Representatives from 170 cities, states and countries from around the world are expected to participate in the meeting, which is dedicated to keep the average increase in global temperatures at or below two degrees Celsius. Trump Energy Secretary Rick Perry will also be in attendance, as he hopes to allay international consternation following the president’s Paris decision. As for Brown’s newly announced deal between California and China, he’s not the first American governor to rebuke Trump for pulling out. He does, however, appear to be the first to pursue non-federal cooperation with a foreign government on the matter.
(Via The Hill)