California, China to link climate-change efforts

Xie Zhenhua, China's lead international climate negotiator, and Gov. Jerry Brown sign the agreement in San Francisco. Xie Zhenhua, China's lead international climate negotiator, and Gov. Jerry Brown sign the agreement in San Francisco. Photo: Raphael Kluzniok, The Chronicle Photo: Raphael Kluzniok, The Chronicle Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close California, China to link climate-change efforts 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

With international agreements to control climate change hard to achieve, environmentalists hope an innovative new link between California and the Chinese government to cooperate on a range of low-carbon economic ventures jump-starts other ways to tackle the problem.

On Friday, Gov. Jerry Brown signed a memorandum of understanding with China's lead international climate negotiator, Xie Zhenhua, the country's vice chair of its National Development and Reform Commission, the agency that oversees economic development in the country.

The agreement - in which the countries pledged to work together on sharing low-carbon strategies and create joint-ventures on clean technologies - is believed to be the only such connection between a state and the Chinese government over climate change.

Environmentalists and political leaders hope a tighter relationship between California - the world's eighth-largest economy and where per-capita electricity use has remained flat for 30 years - and China, the world's fastest-growing economy and leading emissions producer, will spark innovation after scientists, academics and business leaders trade ideas to curb climate change.

On Friday, Brown called climate change "the greatest problem mankind has ever faced," and hoped that California "can be the catalyst that shifts national policy and international policy."

Pressing China on the importance of tackling climate change was a major part of Brown's trade mission there in April and part of his discussion with China's President Xi Jinping in June in the U.S. Pollution is choking major cities like Beijing.

Friday's agreement is rooted in a belief that trends that start in California can spread across the U.S. - and likewise across China.

Brown said the agreement doesn't affect U.S. policy on climate change. He has been in touch with President Obama, Secretary of State John Kerry and Chinese leaders about Friday's agreement "and they are all on board."

"It is a model agreement. We have a lot to learn from China, just as they have a lot they can learn from us," said Derek Walker, a climate and energy expert with the Environmental Defense Fund.

Regional partnerships such as the one signed Friday can only go so far in the absence of international agreements.

"It's a step in the right direction, but it's not a solution in any way," said Max Auffhammer, a professor of economics and the environment at UC Berkeley.