California and Brazil are teaming up in a big way to tackle climate change, boost clean energy, cut pollution, and create jobs tied to environmental efforts. Governor Gavin Newsom and Brazilian Environment Minister Marina Silva sealed the deal with a new Memorandum of Understanding during their meeting in New York on Tuesday.
The agreement focuses on key areas like protecting forests worldwide, slashing greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution, and improving lives in forest communities. Newsom’s office highlighted how this partnership builds on shared goals to fight global warming.
“By strengthening our partnership with Brazil, California is reaffirming a simple truth: global challenges require global cooperation,” Newsom said. He pointed out the timing, with Brazil set to host the UN’s Global Climate Conference later this year.
Silva echoed the importance of these ties, noting that working with state-level leaders like California keeps climate action moving forward in the US—for Americans and the world. “This commitment will support Brazil and California to achieve their climate neutrality goals by 2050 and 2045, respectively,” she added.
This climate collaboration comes as US-Brazil relations face tensions under the Trump administration, including recent tariff hikes on Brazilian goods. Adding to the strain, the US recently blocked Brazilian Health Minister Alexandre Padilha from attending a key Pan American Health Organization meeting in Washington.
On September 19, Brazil revealed that US visa restrictions kept Padilha out of the event. He did get a visa to join President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva at the UN General Assembly in New York next week, but it confines him to a small area around the UN and his hotel—no trips to Washington allowed.
Padilha slammed the limits as “unacceptable” and decided to stay in Brazil. His country’s Health Ministry called the decision arbitrary and stressed Brazil’s crucial role in a regional vaccine program with Argentina and Mexico.
These moves follow US sanctions on Brazilian Supreme Court justices and tariff increases, all linked to the conviction of former President Jair Bolsonaro for his role in a failed coup attempt. Despite the diplomatic hurdles, the California-Brazil climate pact shows how subnational partnerships can push forward on global issues like clean energy and pollution reduction.
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