Sacramento, California - The international effort to limit the impact of climate change gained more support over the weekend. Three Mexican states joined California and other cities, states and nations by signing the Under 2 MOU, an agreement to limit global warming to less than 2 degrees Celsius.

The milestone was reached at the Summit of North American Governors and Premiers in Colorado Springs, bringing the number of jurisdictions that have signed or endorsed the agreement to 52. The Mexican states that signed on were Estado de Mexico, Hidalgo and Yucatán.

Leaders gather for Summit of North American Governors and Premiers

Lic. Rolando Rodrigo Zapata Bello, Governor of the State of Yucatán with Emilio Camacho of the California Energy Commission after signing the Under 2 MOU.

”The voices of California and others continue to grow stronger as we demand the world's attention to address climate change," said California Energy Commission Chair Robert B. Weisenmiller. "Greenhouse gas emissions pose real threats and it is our duty to lead the response."

The Under 2 MOU’s 52 participants come from 17 countries and five continents, collectively representing more than $14.8 trillion in GDP and more than 520 million people. If the signatories represented a single country, it would be the world’s second largest economy behind only the United States.

The Under 2 MOU, launched in May by California and 11 other founding signatories, provides a template for nations to follow and encourages greater ambition as countries negotiate an agreement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions at this year’s United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris.

Signatories to the Under 2 MOU commit to either reduce greenhouse gas emissions 80 to 95 percent below 1990 levels by 2050 or achieve a per capita annual emission target of less than 2 metric tons by 2050.