Governor Newsom, West Coast leaders sign climate agreement in SF

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- Governor Gavin Newsom was in San Francisco Thursday to sign a major climate agreement with his West Coast counterparts.

The governors of Oregon and Washington, as well as British Columbia's premier, were at the signing, along with Mayor London Breed.

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This group has been working as part of the Pacific Coast Collaborative.

They're coming together to tackle the problem because they say climate change is so serious. The goal is to build a low-carbon economy of the future in major West Coast cities.

"We had atmospheric rivers, we had heat domes," said British Columbia Premier John Hogart. "Terms that we've never heard of before that have had a profound impact on our people and our economy and our way of life. And in order to address those challenges, we have to collaborate."

"Less than a month ago, California, we were this close to turning off the lights, stretched to a degree we've never been stretched before," remembered Gov. Newsom. "52,000 megawatts of use on Sept. 6."

All four regional governments say they are facing dire drought conditions, excessive heat, more smoke from raging wildfires. The challenge now is to push a low-carbon economy for the future.

"We're preparing Oregon for the clean energy economy," said Gov. Kate Brown. "Our timelines are 100% clean energy by 2040. One of the most ambitious in the entire nation."

Those there Thursday say they're making progress toward a climate resilient future.

"We are yet again leading the world and the nation when it comes to the development of a clean energy economy," said Washington Gov. Jay Inslee.

On Thursday, California Gov. Newsom signed the climate agreement with West Coast leaders. Earlier this year, he also signed an agreement with five other countries.

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