Brazil, California ink new climate partnership to cut pollution

New York, Sep 25 (IANS) The US state of California and Brazil have announced an expanded partnership to scale up cooperation on climate, clean energy, cutting pollution, and job-creating climate opportunities.

California Governor Gavin Newsom met with Brazilian Minister of Environment and Climate Change Marina Silva in New York on Tuesday (local time).

The two sides signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to cooperate on climate change, including protecting forests, reducing greenhouse gas and air pollution, and enhancing livelihoods across the world's forests, Newsom's office said in a press release.

"By strengthening our partnership with Brazil, California is reaffirming a simple truth: global challenges require global cooperation," said Newsom. "This couldn't be more true as we look forward to the UN's Global Climate Conference that Brazil is hosting later this year."

Silva said partnerships with subnational governments, such as the MoU signed with the state of California, are essential to ensure that climate action continues to move forward in the United States, for the benefit of its own population and all of humanity, reports Xinhua news agency.

"This commitment will support Brazil and California to achieve their climate neutrality goals by 2050 and 2045, respectively," she noted.

This comes against the backdrop of strained US-Brazil ties in the last few months amid the Trump administration's tariff hike.

Earlier, on September 19, Brazil said that the United States barred Brazilian Health Minister Alexandre Padilha from attending a Pan American Health Organisation meeting in Washington by restricting his visa.

Padilha received a visa to join Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva at the UN General Assembly in New York next week, but it limits him to a small perimeter around the UN headquarters and his hotel, preventing him from travelling to Washington.

Calling the restrictions "unacceptable," Padilha said he would remain in Brazil. The Health Ministry described the move as arbitrary and said Brazil's participation in the meeting is vital to a regional vaccine initiative with Argentina and Mexico.

The United States has recently imposed sanctions on Brazilian Supreme Court justices and raised tariffs on Brazilian goods, moves tied to former President Jair Bolsonaro's conviction for attempting a coup.

--IANS

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