California, Mexico sign landmark climate agreement

California and Mexico signed a landmark new agreement on Monday and will collaborate on climate change adaptation and mitigation efforts with carbon pricing and clean energy projects high on the list of priorities.

The memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed in Mexico City at a conference co-hosted by the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) and Mexico's Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT).

Attendees included California Governor Jerry Brown and SEMARNAT Undersecretary of Planning and Environmental Policy Rodolfo Lacy Tamayo.

Nathaniel Keohane, EDF's vice president for International Climate, said in a statement: "California and Mexico can give a crucial boost to the growing global momentum on key policies like carbon pricing that can achieve ambitious reductions in climate pollution, drive clean energy innovation, and promote low-carbon prosperity."

The MoU has a wide range of detailed commitments, including pledges to cooperate on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reporting, renewable energy generation, improving air quality, and expanding sustainable vehicles market.

The document also highlights how the two governments are seeking to align their strategies and policies; an approach that could see California's emissions trading scheme and future carbon pricing mechanisms in Mexico become integrated.

Lauren Faber, West Coast Political Director at EDF, said: "One of the key takeaways from this agreement is that California's AB 32 programme, and signature cap-and-trade policy, is successful and yet again attracting important partners from around the world. California and Mexico are already culturally and economically linked in many important ways, so it makes sense to link our respective environmental visions as well."

The announcement comes in the same week as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is due to attend a series of hearings in Washington over its controversial move to introduce emissions standards for power plants.

The EPA is expected to face a range of tough questions from Republicans opposed to the new rules.