Newsom signs California-UK clean energy pact

LONDON — California will carry on making the case for “climate action” on the global stage, Governor Gavin Newsom said Monday, as he signed a new clean energy pact with the U.K.

Newsom, a Democratic presidential hopeful, met with U.K. Energy Secretary Ed Miliband in London as part of a European tour, where he has tried to reassure the United States’ European allies that Donald Trump’s shake-up of transatlantic relations — and climate politics — is “temporary.”

In a new memorandum of understanding, California and the U.K. — which are both still pursuing net zero emissions goals — pledge to collaborate on clean energy technologies like offshore wind, at a time when Trump takes every chance to rail against windmills.

The pact will enable better access for U.K. firms including Octopus Energy — the country’s biggest energy supplier — to California’s market, the U.K.’s Energy Security and Net Zero Department said.

It will also underpin collaboration between British and Californian research institutions and enshrine both sides’ continued commitment to international efforts to fight climate change through the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) treaty. The Trump administration withdrew the U.S. from the UNFCCC earlier this year.

Striking a contrast, Newsom said California “will continue showing the world how we can turn innovation and ambition into climate action.”  

“California is the best place in America to invest in a clean economy because we set clear goals and we deliver. Today, we deepened our partnership with the United Kingdom on climate action and welcomed nearly a billion dollars in clean tech investment from Octopus Energy,” he added.

Miliband said that “strong international partnerships” would strengthen “opportunities for U.K. businesses and secures investment for our country.”