Global Climate Action Summit in San Francisco attracts leading minds
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- People from the world of politics, business, science and nonprofits are coming together in San Francisco this week for the Global Climate Action Summit. Governor Brown is hosting the event at Moscone Center, which is meant to galvanize action on climate change.
The summit runs Wednesday through Friday, but already, people from all over the world are in the city exchanging ideas and finding inspiration.
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It's not a topic you hear about everyday, but people gathered at San Francisco's Exploratorium to talk about biodiversity. Even a representative from Chile came to hear about the latest in conserving and restoring ecosystems.
"This is is very important for the world. Not just this country or any country. It's for the world. We are all living in this planet," said Angelica Flores Rodriguez who represents an environmental advocacy group in Santiago, Chile.
The smaller events are the lead up to the summit. Governor Jerry Brown came up with the idea to bring together the world's leading minds - and to kick things off, the governor signed legislation Monday putting California on a path to phase out electricity produced by fossil fuels by 2045.
"This bill and the executive order that I'm going to sign will put California on a path to meet the Paris agreement and beyond. It's not going to be easy, and it will not be immediate, but it must be done," said Brown.
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Despite the new bill, the Summit is sure bring protests. A coalition of groups is upset with the governor - accusing him of not doing enough to stop fracking, a controversial method of extracting oil.
"We have plans to let the governor's office know and to let the global markets know that our lands are not for sale and that we will stand up and protect them," said Thomas Joseph of the Indigenous Environmental Network.
The San Francisco Police Department has canceled all days off during the three day Summit. Commuters, meanwhile, can expect traffic delays. Howard Street between 3rd and 4th Streets will be closed to traffic.
