Significant new climate action
This week, Gov Gavin Newsom welcomed a delegation from Norway led by His Royal Highness Crown Prince Haakon. Following a stop at San Quentin focused on criminal justice reform, the California and Norway delegations visited the Larkspur Ferry Terminal–home to one of the world’s first clean hydrogen fuel cell passenger ferries–to sign a new Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to advance climate collaboration.
The MOU outlines four years of cooperation between California and Norway on clean energy, zero-emission transportation and ports, carbon removal and climate-smart agriculture.
The two delegations also signed a joint statement highlighting the new areas of climate collaboration, existing work on economic development and continued partnership on criminal justice and prison reform.
“From Oakland to Oslo, we’ve seen the worsening impacts of the climate crisis firsthand. But we also know that these challenges bring a once-in-a-generation opportunity to transform our economies to work for everyone,” Newsom said. “That’s why California and Norway–world leaders on climate action–are joining forces to tackle the crisis of our time together.”
Jan Christian Vestre, Norway’s Minister of Trade, said, “Norway’s excellent relations with the US, and with California, go way back. But today we are taking it a step further, teaming up to accelerate the pace of the green transition. This MOU will formalize our cooperation in several areas where we share the same goals, where our policies and ambitions for net-zero solutions overlap and where our industries and expertise–our opportunities and needs–complement each other.”
California’s world-leading climate policies have led the state to exceed its 2020 climate target six years ahead of schedule, and formed partnerships across the U.S. and around the world.
• Earlier this year, Gov. Newsom welcomed a delegation from Sweden and signed a renewed climate partnership between the two governments.
• Last year, Gov. Newsom led a California delegation to China, where California signed five MOUs – with China’s National Development and Reform Commission, the provinces of Guangdong and Jiangsu, and the municipalities of Beijing, and Shanghai. The trip also resulted in a first-of-its-kind declaration by China and California to cooperate on climate action like aggressively cutting greenhouse gas emissions, transitioning away from fossil fuels, and developing clean energy.
• Also in 2023, California signed a MOU with the Chinese province of Hainan, as well as with Australia.
• In 2022 alone, California signed Memorandums of Cooperation with Canada, New Zealand and Japan, as well as MOUs with China and the Netherlands, to tackle the climate crisis. The Governor also joined with Washington, Oregon, and British Columbia to recommit the region to climate action.
