California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger announced earlier this week that five additional US governors will co-host the upcoming Governor’s Climate Summit at UCLA. The summit brings together leaders from Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Indonesia, Mexico, and the European Union, and attendees from 36 states and Washington, D.C.
To be held November 18 – 19, people are encouraged to join in via webcast. The event will consist of high-level negotiations to lay the groundwork for the next global agreement on climate change. The United Nations will begin negotiating this agreement in earnest in December at a meeting in Poland.
“This international summit will bring together world leaders to develop creative, collaborative actions to advance the global climate agreement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that will be negotiated in Poland in December and in Copenhagen next year,” the governor said.
Features of the summit include discussions around monitoring and reporting emissions, sector-specific breakout sessions, and a commitment to future action. The leaders will sign a joint declaration agreeing to pursue collaborative action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and create opportunities to grow green economies, according to Schwarzenegger.
With more than 700 attendees expected, the event’s sizeable emissions will be offset, with the funding going to alternative energy projects in Brazil, China, India, Russia and Idaho.
I, for one, am glad that the governors (Schwarzenegger, in particular) have taken the lead in addressing climate change for our country. It’s no secret that our federal government continues to drop the ball on this issue. All indications are that the new administration will provide better leadership on this crucial problem – let’s hope that campaign promises become reality.
Photo credit: maveric2003 on Flickr via Creative Commons License
