San Francisco, California - Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. today met with Prime Minister of the Czech Republic Bohuslav Sobotka in San Francisco, where the Czech Republic became the latest signatory to the Under 2 MOU climate agreement - a global pact among cities, states and countries to limit the increase in global average temperature to below 2 degrees Celsius.

A total of 128 jurisdictions representing 28 countries and six continents have now signed or endorsed the Under 2 MOU. Together, they represent more than 740 million people and $20.7 trillion in GDP, equivalent to more than a quarter of the global economy. Signatories commit to either reducing greenhouse gas emissions 80 to 95 percent below 1990 levels by 2050 or achieving a per capita annual emission target of less than 2 metric tons by 2050.

While the majority of signatories represent cities, states and regions, with today's announcement, a total of 9 countries have now endorsed the Under 2 MOU. In addition to the Czech Republic, Costa Rica, Panama, Peru, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom have all endorsed the agreement.

Governor Brown meets with Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka

California's Leadership on Climate Change

While California emits around 1 percent of the world's greenhouse gases, the state is playing a leading role in broadening collaboration among subnational leaders.

Last year, the Governor traveled to the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris, the Vatican in Italy, the United Nations in New York and the Climate Summit of the Americas in Toronto, Canada to call on other leaders to join California in the fight against climate change.

Governor Brown also joined an unprecedented alliance of heads of state, city and state leaders – convened by the World Bank Group and International Monetary Fund  – to urge countries and companies around the globe to put a price on carbon. 

These efforts build on a number of other international climate change agreements with leaders from the Netherlands, Mexico, China, North America, Japan, Israel, Peru and Chile and Governor Brown's efforts to convene hundreds of world-renowned researchers and scientists around a groundbreaking call to action – called the consensus statement – which translates key scientific climate findings from disparate fields into one unified document.

Last October, Governor Brown signed landmark legislation – SB 350 – to double the rate of energy efficiency savings in California buildings and generate half of the state's electricity from renewable sources by 2030. Governor Brown also committed to reduce today's petroleum use in cars and trucks by up to 50 percent within the next 15 years; make heating fuels cleaner; reduce the release of methane, black carbon and other potent pollutants across industries; and manage farm and rangelands, forests and wetlands so they can store carbon.

Additionally, the Governor issued an executive order last year to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in California 40 percent below 1990 levels by 2030 – the most ambitious target in North America and consistent with California's existing commitment to reduce emissions 80 percent under 1990 levels by 2050.

The impacts of climate change are already being felt in California and will disproportionately impact the state's most vulnerable populations.

Photo Credit: John Larimore, Governor’s Office of Emergency Services.