Top officials from New Zealand and California have reached an agreement to help each other fight climate change by sharing ideas and best practices.
While the agreement doesn’t commit either government to specific policies but outlines broad areas for cooperation, it will among other things, include how to put millions more electric vehicles on the road.
Reacting to the agreement at San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, said “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”.
He explained that 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.
While California is reported to be working towards banning the sales of new gas-powered cars in the state by 2035, New Zealand wants 30% of all car sales to be electric by that year.
Read also: G7 meeting to increase aid for poor countries to tackle climate change
In his reaction, Gavin Newsom, a Democrat said that 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.
New Zealand is home to 5 million people compared to California’s population of 39 million and has a much smaller economy and both are said to be experiencing the effects of climate change.
While 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.
According to reports, 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.
Story was adapted from U.S News.
