3 Brazilian states join Under 2 MOU

Three Brazilian states from the Amazon basin – Amazonas, Rondônia and Tocantins – have signed the “Under 2 MOU” agreement, a coalition committed to limiting global warming to less than 2 degrees Celsius, the California Environmental Protection Agency announced on Tuesday.

“California welcomes our new partners to this important agreement that highlights the collective climate efforts of sub-national governments and demonstrates their commitment to an ambitious international climate agreement in Paris,” California Secretary for Environmental Protection Matthew Rodriquez said. 

California was one of the MOU’s first signatories. The coalition members agree to one of two benchmarks for greenhouse gas emissions reductions: either an 80 to 95 percent reduction from 1990 levels or an annual emissions target of less than 2 metric tons, both of which are to be achieved by 2050.

“It is particularly significant that these new states are also members of the Governors’ Climate and Forests Task Force, another critical sub-national partnership in the effort to forestall climate change and protect tropical forests,” Rodriquez said. “It demonstrates that the Under 2 MOU encompasses a wide array of climate programs from around the world.”