Scotland & California Sign Partnership To Tackle Climate Change
The Government of Scotland and the Government of California have signed a joint agreement committing to work together on tackling climate change, an agreement the two governments hope will provide a model for other governments to follow.
The joint agreement was signed when Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon met with the Governor of California, Jerry Brown, in Sacramento to discuss how the two countries administrations can work together to achieve the ambitions set out in the Subnational Global Climate Leadership Memorandum of Understanding, or Under2 MoU.
“The Under2 Coalition is a diverse group of governments around the world who set ambitious targets to combat climate change.”
All governments committing to the Under2 MoU are aiming to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions 80% to 95% below 1990 levels, or limit them to 2 annual metric tonnes of CO2-equivalent per capita, by 2050.
Sturgeon and Brown also discussed the importance of offshore wind in tackling climate change issues, and discussed how the two governments could share knowledge and best practices in developing this technology. Although California is one of the world’s leading governments when it comes to clean energy and climate policies, it has yet to make any headway on offshore wind. On the other hand, Scotland remains one of the world’s leading offshore wind giants, with significant resources, capacity, and technological expertise.
“Scotland is making huge progress in delivering our climate change ambitions, but we are not complacent and there is still much to achieve,” said First Minister Nicola Sturgeon after the meeting.
“Today’s meeting strengthened our relationship with the Government of California and I’m confident we can work together to achieve the targets set out by the Under2 MoU.
“We have also offered to help the Under2 Coalition, representing over 1 billion people, to prepare for a major summit in 2018 which will bring together the public and private sectors, alongside NGOs, to build support and action aimed at persuading national governments to increase their efforts to tackle climate change, in what will be an important year for taking stock against progress of the Paris Agreement.”
Commenting on the meeting, environmental groups on both sides of the Pond have welcomed the signing of the joint agreement, and the strengthening of ties between the two countries administrations.
“It is good to see climate action high on the agenda of Scotland’s First Minister on her trip to the United States,” said WWF-US Senior Vice President of Climate Change and Energy, Lou Leonard. “This is a strong reminder that climate change is a priority for our allies around the world.
“Over the years, California and Scotland have inspired the world by setting bold targets and investing in a clean economy. Now both governments are looking to collectively up their game. To successfully address the climate challenge, it is essential that the leading players work together to do even more.”
“The global transition to low-carbon future is already underway and it’s unstoppable,” added WWF Scotland director Lang Banks.
“The real issue is how quickly we will get there, not whether we will get there. That’s why it’s fantastic to see the First Minister in the U.S. seeking to work with others prepared to stand up for people and nature threatened by global climate change.
“Scotland has a very positive story to share globally about how it has successfully created thousands of jobs and reduced carbon emissions from its power sector through the use of renewables.”
Image Credit: First Minister of Scotland, Flickr
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