Commissioner Arias Cañete meets Governor of California Jerry Brown

Building on concrete efforts by both California and the EU to implement carbon markets and zero-carbon transportation policies, and in light of the global momentum generated by the Paris Agreement, Commissioner for Climate Action and Energy Miguel Arias Cañete and Governor of California Jerry Brown met today in Brussels and agreed to step up cooperation on emissions trading and zero-carbon transportation.On carbon markets, the EU and California will hold regular political and technical dialogues on the design and implementation of their carbon markets, including cooperation with other carbon markets such as China. Hosted by China’s Special Representative on Climate Change Affairs, Commissioner Arias Cañete and Governor Brown will open a high-level event on carbon markets and the role of carbon pricing in China on 14 November at COP 23 in Bonn. The EU and California will also work together to scale zero-carbon transportation solutions globally, including by bringing new commitments and new partners to the Global Climate Action Summit which California will host 12-14 September 2018. The Summit will emphasize how subnational actors have already contributed to emissions reductions, spur bold new commitments, and galvanize a global movement for everyone to do more.Following today’s meeting, Climate Action and Energy Commissioner Miguel Arias Cañete said: “The EU and California are natural partners in the fight against climate change and have been pioneers in the early years of carbon markets and clean mobility. Today Governor Brown and I agreed to strengthen our cooperation so that we remain leaders in these areas – both of which will be key for achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement.”The European Union is the largest carbon market in the world, with its emissions trading system a key part of the EU’s policy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, while California also has a well-established carbon market, that is linked with markets in Quebec and Ontario. The EU’s low-emission mobility strategy for the transport sector is also a key element of the bloc’s climate policy, with a major new proposal on CO₂ emission standards for cars and vans to be considered by the Commission tomorrow. California introduced its first regulation to accelerate the uptake of zero-emissions vehicles in 1990 and its current standards have been adopted by nine other US States. The state also has a goal to put more than 1.5 million zero-emission vehicles on its roads by 2025. More information on the Commission’s website.