SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California Gov. Jerry Brown was named Tuesday as a special envoy to states at the next United Nations Climate Change Conference, further elevating his international profile as a leader on the issue as President Donald Trump backs away from a key international agreement.
The announcement of Brown’s role at the November conference in Bonn, Germany, by Fiji Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama comes on the heels of the governor’s meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping and German Environment Minister Barbara Hendricks to discuss climate change.
Photo: Rich Pedroncelli, AP
California Gov. Jerry Brown.
California Gov. Jerry Brown.
Photo: Rich Pedroncelli, AP
Lloyd Blankfein wasn’t the only one who tweeted his opposition to President Donald Trump’s decision to pull the U.S. out of the Paris Accrod on climate change. Scroll through this gallery to see some of the reactions from Bay Area and tech leaders.
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Lloyd Blankfein wasn’t the only one who tweeted his opposition to President Donald Trump’s decision to pull the U.S. out of the Paris Accrod on climate change. Scroll through this gallery to see some of the
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Photo: Mark Zuckerberg/Facebook
Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk
Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk
Photo: @elonmusk/Twitter
Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff
Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff
Photo: @Benioff/Twitter
Photo: @RobertIger/Twitter
Photo: @TomSteyer/Twitter
Photo: @sundarpichai/Twitter
California Gov. Jerry Brown
California Gov. Jerry Brown
Photo: @JerryBrownGov/Twitter
Microsoft President Brad Smith
Microsoft President Brad Smith
Photo: @BradSmi/Twitter
San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee
San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee
Photo: @mayoredlee/Twitter
Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf
Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf
Photo: @LibbySchaaf/Twiiter
Engineer and retired astronaut Scott Kelly
Engineer and retired astronaut Scott Kelly
Photo: @StationCDRKelly/Twitter
Sen. Dianne Feinstein of San Francisco
Sen. Dianne Feinstein of San Francisco
Photo: @SenFeinstein/Twitter
Jeff Immelt, CEO of General Electric
Jeff Immelt, CEO of General Electric
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California Sen. Kamala Harris
California Sen. Kamala Harris
Photo: @KamalaHarris/Twitter
Rep. Barbara Lee of Oakland
Rep. Barbara Lee of Oakland
Photo: @RepBarbaraLee/Twitter
Josh Constine, Tech Crunch editor-at-large
Josh Constine, Tech Crunch editor-at-large
Photo: @JoshConstine
The Prime Minister of Fiji Frank Bainimarama, left, discusses climate change as Calif. Gov. Jerry Brown, right, looks on Tuesday, June 13, 2017, in Sacramento, Calif. Bainimarama signed a non-binding international agreement that commits the signatories to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from 80 percent to 95 percent, below 1990 levels.
lessThe Prime Minister of Fiji Frank Bainimarama, left, discusses climate change as Calif. Gov. Jerry Brown, right, looks on Tuesday, June 13, 2017, in Sacramento, Calif. Bainimarama signed a non-binding
… morePhoto: Rich Pedroncelli, AP
California Gov. Jerry Brown, center, discusses climate change at a news conference, Tuesday, June 13, 2017, in Sacramento, Calif. During the event Fiji Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama, third from left, signed a subnational climate change agreement that calls for the signatories to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from 80 percent to 95 percent, below 1990 levels. Also seen are Oregon Gov. Kate Brown, left, Washington State Gov. Jay Inslee, California Senate President Pro tem Kevin de Leon, D-Los Angeles, fourth from left, along with several other California lawmakers are other dignitaries.
lessCalifornia Gov. Jerry Brown, center, discusses climate change at a news conference, Tuesday, June 13, 2017, in Sacramento, Calif. During the event Fiji Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama, third from left, signed
… morePhoto: Rich Pedroncelli, AP
California Gov. Jerry Brown, right, watches as Prime Minister of Fiji Frank Bainimarama signs a climate change accord Tuesday, June 13, 2017, in Sacramento, Calif. The non-binding international agreement commits the signatories to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from 80 percent to 95 percent, below 1990 levels. Looking on are from left, Assemblywoman Sharon Quirk-Silva, D-Fullerton, Oregon Gov. Kate Brown and Washington State Gov. Jay Inslee.
lessCalifornia Gov. Jerry Brown, right, watches as Prime Minister of Fiji Frank Bainimarama signs a climate change accord Tuesday, June 13, 2017, in Sacramento, Calif. The non-binding international agreement
… morePhoto: Rich Pedroncelli, AP
Oregon Gov. Kate Brown, center, discusses climate change at a news conference held by Calif., Gov. Jerry Brown, left, Tuesday, June 13, 2017,in Sacramento, Calif. During the event Fiji Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama, signed a subnational climate change agreement that calls for the signatories to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from 80 percent to 95 percent, below 1990 levels.
lessOregon Gov. Kate Brown, center, discusses climate change at a news conference held by Calif., Gov. Jerry Brown, left, Tuesday, June 13, 2017,in Sacramento, Calif. During the event Fiji Prime Minister Frank
… morePhoto: Rich Pedroncelli, AP
Washington State Gov. Jay Inslee, center, discusses climate change at a news conference held by Calif., Gov. Jerry Brown, left, Tuesday, June 13, 2017, in Sacramento, Calif. During the event Fiji Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama, signed a subnational climate change agreement, launched by Brown in 2015, that calls for the signatories to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from 80 percent to 95 percent, below 1990 levels.
lessWashington State Gov. Jay Inslee, center, discusses climate change at a news conference held by Calif., Gov. Jerry Brown, left, Tuesday, June 13, 2017, in Sacramento, Calif. During the event Fiji Prime Minister
… morePhoto: Rich Pedroncelli, AP
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, left, talks with California Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de Leon, D-Los Angeles, after a climate change news conference, held by Calif. Gov. Jerry Brown, Tuesday, June 13, 2017, in Sacramento, Calif.
lessWashington Gov. Jay Inslee, left, talks with California Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de Leon, D-Los Angeles, after a climate change news conference, held by Calif. Gov. Jerry Brown, Tuesday, June 13, 2017, in
… morePhoto: Rich Pedroncelli, AP
California Gov. Jerry Brown discusses climate change at a news conference Tuesday, June 13, 2017, in Sacramento, Calif. During the event Fiji Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama, the incoming president of the United Nations Climate Change Conference, named Brown to be a special advisor for states and regions in advance of the November gathering in Germany.
lessCalifornia Gov. Jerry Brown discusses climate change at a news conference Tuesday, June 13, 2017, in Sacramento, Calif. During the event Fiji Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama, the incoming president of the
… morePhoto: Rich Pedroncelli, AP
Oregon Gov. Kate Brown, at podium, discusses climate change at a news conference held by Calif., Gov. Jerry Brown, third from left, Tuesday, June 13, 2017, in Sacramento, Calif. During the event Fiji Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama, left, signed a subnational climate change agreement that calls for the signatories to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from 80 percent to 95 percent, below 1990 levels. Also seen are California Senate President Pro tem Kevin de Leon, D-Los Angeles, along with several other California lawmakers are other dignitaries.
lessOregon Gov. Kate Brown, at podium, discusses climate change at a news conference held by Calif., Gov. Jerry Brown, third from left, Tuesday, June 13, 2017, in Sacramento, Calif. During the event Fiji Prime
… morePhoto: Rich Pedroncelli, AP
California governor named adviser for UN climate conference
“I will lean on Gov. Brown to continue to bring the great leadership he has demonstrated time and time again, and to mobilize a strong contingent of like-minded leaders from around the world, to show the world that we mean business,” Bainimarama said during a news conference at the historic governor’s mansion in Sacramento.
The four-term governor has made reducing greenhouse gas emissions and boosting green technology a key tenet of his administration. He’s launched non-binding climate change pacts, including the newly formed U.S. Climate Alliance of states committed to upholding the carbon reductions goals in the Paris climate agreement, from which Trump plans to withdraw. Bainimarama on Tuesday joined Fiji in the Under2 Coalition, a pact among cities, states and countries that Brown helped launch in 2015 aimed at keeping the rise of global temperatures below 2 degrees Celsius.
Bainimarama hailed U.S. states’ commitment to upholding the Paris agreements. He noted Trump’s choice to withdraw could bring fireworks to the U.N. conference, known as “COP 23.”
“I think the withdrawal of the White House is going to make COP 23 very exciting,” he said.
Brown won’t be the only governor potentially playing an outsize role at the conference. Fellow West Coast Govs. Kate Brown of Oregon and Jay Inslee of Washington, who also traveled to Sacramento on Tuesday, both plan to attend with other governors in the state’s Climate Alliance.
“We’re going to play a very important role,” Jerry Brown said.
The state agreement is a non-binding commitment to uphold the Paris goals, which include reducing the country’s emissions by 26 to 28 percent from 2005 levels. Many of the 13 states involved already have their own targets in place, and the goal of the coalition is to collaborate and share ideas on using green technology and other means to meet the goal.
“When the president decided to run up the white flag of surrender to the challenge of climate change, we jumped right into the barricades,” Inslee said.
