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“Cities are a major source of our pollution problems and city leaders must find the solutions,” said Mayor Garcetti. “In Los Angeles, we’ve seen that cleaning up our air has produced a healthier economy as well as a healthier city. L.A. became a leader in clean technology and now has more green jobs than any other region in the United States. I want to thank President Obama for his leadership on this issue, and we look forward to hosting the summit in Los Angeles this fall.”
The summit is a result of the landmark climate change agreement announced by President Barack Obama and President Xi Jinping in November 2014 in Beijing. Following up on the agreement during his Asia Trade Mission that same month, Mayor Garcetti invited Chinese mayors to come to Los Angeles to work together to tackle climate change.
“We believe there are enormous opportunities for us to share in business possibilities, in joint ventures, in joint research, in groundbreaking efforts with respect to the leadership that we can offer to other countries that face a major challenge as a result of the emissions of the world,” said Secretary of State John Kerry. “Because China and the United States are the world’s two largest emitters today, when we make a decision to move on this, it has a profound impact.”
The agreement between Presidents Obama and Xi includes new targets for carbon emissions and reductions by the United States and a first-ever commitment by China to stop its emissions from growing by 2030. It also launched a Climate-Smart/Low-Carbon Cities Initiative to respond to growing urbanization and increasingly significant greenhouse gas emissions from cities.
The summit will mark the first effort of that initiative and will bring together local leaders from both countries for a multiple-day conference featuring a high-level plenary at which leaders declare their resolve, ambition, and actions; working level technical exchanges to share experience and best practices; and an exhibition to engage the private sector.
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