BAY AREA COUNCIL LEADS DELEGATION ACCOMPANYING GOV. JERRY BROWN TO CHINA FOR GLOBAL CLEAN ENERGY SUMMIT
On Monday, June 5, the Bay Area Council will lead a high-level business delegation to Beijing, China, to accompany Gov. Jerry Brown for an annual meeting of the world’s top energy ministers and to strengthen ties between China, California and the Bay Area on clean energy and other economic opportunities. The trip takes on added significance coming on the heels of President Donald Trump’s decision on Thursday (June 1) to withdraw the U.S. from a major international climate change accord around which the China meetings are centered.
“The Bay Area and California are charging ahead to strengthen our growing partnership with China on expanding the use of clean energy and developing exciting new clean energy technologies,” said Jim Wunderman, Bay Area Council President and CEO. “Under Gov. Brown’s bold leadership, California has become a global beacon for addressing climate change and leveraging the power of economic innovation to develop the clean energy technologies that are critical to reducing carbon emissions. California and China have much to share and much to gain from working together to advance our clean energy and clean technology objectives. This trip will be significant in highlighting the importance of cooperation and partnership among regions, states and nations in addressing the threats of climate change.”
The Clean Energy Ministerial 8 (CEM8) gathering from June 6-8 brings together energy ministers from the world’s top 23 economies and the European Union to discuss implementing the historic 2015 U.N. Convention of Parties climate change agreement (COP21) from which President Trump decided to withdraw U.S. participation. The Bay Area Council played a leading role last year in organizing and hosting CEM7 in San Francisco.
Detailed agenda and delegate information on the Bay Area Council CEM8 trip>>
As part of CEM8, the Bay Area Council delegation will join Gov. Brown and other state leaders for a forum on June 7 of the Under 2 Coalition, which represents 170 cities, states and countries from six continents that have signed on to the Under 2 MOU committing to actions that will limit the increase in global average temperature to below 2 degrees Celsius. California and Gov. Brown have been instrumental in the creation and expansion of the Under 2 Coalition. And the June 7 “Under2 Clean Energy Forum” expands on the event Governor Brown launched last year in San Francisco to highlight regional clean energy and climate action and collaboration, in conjunction with CEM7.
Through its three offices in China, the Council for more than 10 years has served an important role in facilitating California’s growing relationship with China on clean energy, including helping organize Gov. Brown’s 2013 trade and investment mission when he signed another landmark climate change agreement with that country’s powerful National Development and Reform Commission.
Read the Council’s statement on President Trump’s Paris accord decision>>
