Calif. announces climate pledge
State partners with New Zealand to share ideas, best practices
SAN FRANCISCO — Top officials from California and New Zealand signed a pledge Friday agreeing to help fight climate change by sharing ideas and best practices, including how to put millions more electric vehicles on the road.
Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, and New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern spoke about the agreement at San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park. The agreement doesn’t commit either government to specific policies but outlines broad areas for cooperation.
“We have a natural connection and I’m so pleased we’ve put pen to paper today to confirm that and continue our cooperation on one of the great challenges from our generation,” Ardern said.
Cars, trucks and other parts of the transportation sector are California’s biggest contributor of greenhouse gas emissions, and New Zealand’s second largest behind agriculture, Ardern said. California is moving to ban sales of new gas-powered cars in the state by 2035. New Zealand wants 30 percent of all car sales to be electric by that year.
Newsom said he expects competition to grow in the electric vehicle market, which Tesla currently dominates, likening it to when Netflix started facing competition from other streaming services. Ardern said her government will talk with California officials about programs that offer incentives for people to get rid of older, gas-guzzling cars.
New Zealand is home to 5 million people compared to California’s population of 39 million and has a much smaller economy. Both are experiencing the effects of climate change. California just recorded its driest winter on record as a drought grips the state. New Zealand’s most recent winter, which takes place from June to August, was the hottest on record.
New Zealand is heavily focused on reducing emissions from its vital agriculture industry. Beef and dairy dominate the nation’s farming sector and milk products are its largest export. Worldwide, cattle are a major source of emissions of methane, a potent greenhouse gas.
California is also home to a major farming industry that produces many of the world’s fruits and vegetables. The agreement says the two governments may engage in joint projects to expand farming practices that build soil health, reduce methane emissions and boost water efficiency.
The memorandum of cooperation was signed by Jared Blumenfeld, secretary of the California Environmental Protection Agency, and Jeremy Clarke-watson, New Zealand’s consul-general in Los Angeles.
California already has climate-focused agreements with many other nations, including China, Canada, and Mexico.