California and Canada partner on bold climate action strategy

Caliornia Construction News staff writer

Building on California’s global climate commitments, Governor Gavin Newsom and Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau announced a new partnership to advance bold climate action. California and Canada signed a Memorandum of Cooperation (MOC) fighting climate change, reducing pollution, cutting back on plastic waste, advancing zero-emission vehicles, protecting the environment and building climate resilience.

Newsom and Trudeau signed the agreement at the California Science Center in Los Angeles during the Summit of the Americas.

”We can’t fight the climate crisis on our own – we need to work together with partners all across the globe to achieve humanity’s most important task: saving our planet,” Newsom said. “This partnership with Canada is a vital step on California’s path to a cleaner, greener future and is the latest expression of our shared values. Together, we are building a more sustainable and resilient future for millions and lighting the path for other nations and nation-states to follow our lead.”

The MOC furthers climate objectives through sharing information and best practices. Canada and California also agreed to convene other like-minded partners at UN Climate Week in September, to drive shared work on wildfire and forest resilience.

The text of the MOC signed today can be found here.

Governor Newsom has committed $47.1 billion to tackle pollution, build climate-resilient water supplies, reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfires, ensure grid reliability and accelerate clean energy solutions, and protect communities from extreme heat.

Last month, California signed a Memorandum of Cooperation with New Zealand to tackle the climate crisis. That followed a Memorandum of Cooperation with Japan signed earlier this year to advance cooperation on climate and clean energy priorities, and strengthen trade relations. Governor Newsom also signed a Memorandum of Understanding with China to accelerate ongoing initiatives to protect the environment, reduce carbon and air pollution and promote clean technology development.