Sacramento, California - Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. Thursday welcomed Portugal to the Under2 Coalition – the global pact among cities, states and countries to limit the increase in global average temperature to below 2 degrees Celsius.
“Portuguese people have long called California home and today that bond grows stronger with Portugal joining the Under2 Coalition to confront the existential threat of climate change,” said Governor Brown.
Governor Brown and Prime Minister of Portugal António Costa in the Governor's Office in Sacramento
Governor Brown met with Portugal's Prime Minister António Costa today at the State Capitol. They were joined by Portugal's Minister of Economy Manuel Caldeira Cabral, Ambassador of Portugal to the United States Domingos Fezas Vital and Consul General of Portugal in San Francisco Maria João Lopes Cardoso.
“Portugal is in the frontline against global warming. We are committed to fulfilling the goals of the Paris Agreement, and believe that the action needed to address climate change represents an opportunity to develop and transform our economies and to create jobs, goods and services through new market opportunities linked to low carbon technologies. Portugal is adopting decarbonisation policies in transports and assuming an ambitious agenda related to renewable energies,” said Prime Minister Costa. “Global challenges require joint efforts. Portugal is pleased to join other partners in endorsing the Under2 Coalition.”
With the addition of Portugal, the Under2 Coalition now includes 206 jurisdictions on 6 continents that collectively represent 1.3 billion people and $30 trillion in GDP – equivalent to 17 percent of the global population and 40 percent of the global economy. Members of the coalition make a number of key commitments, including reducing greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to 80 to 95 percent below 1990 levels or to less than 2 annual metric tons per capita by 2050. The Portuguese autonomous regions of the Azores and Madeira became signatories to the Under2 Coalition in 2015.
The consequences of climate change are already being felt in California, Portugal and around the world. A growing body of evidence suggests that climate change raises the likelihood of warm and dry conditions, which are associated with the increased severity and length of fire seasons. Last year, wildfires in California and Portugal were among the most destructive on record for both jurisdictions.
