Blair, Schwarzenegger sign agreement on climate change

LOS ANGELES, July 31 (Xinhua) -- Visiting British Prime Minister Tony Blair and California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger sign an agreement on Monday to cooperate on climate change and clean energy.

The groundbreaking agreement recognizes the immediate need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate the adverse consequences of climate change, the governor's office said.

The agreement will enable Britain and California to "become partners and act aggressively to address climate change and promote energy diversity", said the office.

"California will not wait for our federal government to take strong action on global warming," said Gov. Schwarzenegger after an hour-long roundtable meeting with Blair, who arrived here earlier in the day from Washingtong D.C.

"Today, we are taking an unprecedented step by signing an agreement between California and the United Kingdom," the office said. "International partnerships are needed in the fight against global warming and California has a responsibility and a profound role to play to protect not only our environment, but to be a world leader on this issue as well."

Under the agreement, both California and the United Kingdom will evaluate and implement market-based mechanisms that spur innovation and explore the potential for linkages between market- based mechanisms that will better enable the carbon market(s) to accelerate the transition to a low carbon economy.

The agreement also commits the two sides to:

-- Deepen understanding of the economics of climate change;

-- Work together to quantify the economic impacts of climate change, and make mitigation efforts and adaptation strategies;

-- Share results from these on-going and emerging studies;

-- Understand how best to model the impact of climate change emissions reduction policies and adaptation measures on regional and national economies, and

-- Coordinate energy sector efforts to switch to clean energy technologies, promote green buildings and increase the use of efficiency and renewable energy technologies.

With its massive and growing economy, California is the 12th largest emitter of carbon in the world despite leading the nation in energy efficiency standards and lead role in protecting its environment.

"People always say you can't be pro-business and pro- environment, but they are dead wrong," said Schwarzenegger. "You can do both and we're proving it everyday in California. We are attacking global warming and still creating thousands of new jobs. We are leaders in energy efficiency and leaders in attracting new investment."

Schwarzenegger's continued leadership in protecting California' s environment includes his million solar roofs plan, his efforts to build a hydrogen highway, his work to protect California's inventoried roadless areas, the creation of the Sierra Nevada Conservancy and increasing the amount of renewable energy used in the state.