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EDS: Rights cleared photos from Day 1 and Day 2 of the Summit available here: lamayor.org/climatesummitphotos Photo credit: Office of Mayor Eric Garcetti.

LOS ANGELES—During the second and closing day of the U.S.-China Climate Leaders Summit, Mayor Eric Garcetti joined Vice President Joe Biden, Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi and local and federal officials from both the United States and China in calling for urgent action to fight global climate change.

“Climate change. It’s not just an environmental issue. It’s an economic issue. It’s a national security issue. And, it is a moral issue,” U.S. Vice President Biden said during keynote remarks to close the historic Summit. “We have to act – and we have to act now. It’s not too late – if we act now.”

“The U.S. and China represent over 40% of global greenhouse gas emissions. That gives us a unique opportunity to make a critical difference in the lives of our residents, and in the fight against climate change,” said Mayor Eric Garcetti.

“During this climate summit we seized that opportunity, delivering firm and ambitious commitments to achieve sustainability goals, and hit emissions targets. People will look back on this day in Los Angeles as the time when a movement among cities began.”

The second day of the Climate Summit, the first official convening between the two countries to address climate change, highlighted federal efforts to support smart cities and private-sector opportunities to meet shared environmental and economic objectives. Department of Energy Deputy Secretary Elizabeth Sherwod-Randall participated in the opening session with a keynote address that highlighted the importance of information sharing between the U.S. and China to address climate change.

“Through government-to government dialogue, and just as important, through business-to-business collaboration we can bring forward the technologies, business models, and policies that will make it possible to fulfill our two nations’ ambitious climate commitments,” said Department of Energy Deputy Secretary Elizabeth Sherwod-Randall.

During the closing plenary session, Mayor Garcetti also passed the torch to Beijing Executive Vice Mayor Li Shixiang, who will host the next official convening of U.S. and Chinese subnational leaders on climate change under the Climate Change Working Group.

Additionally, outcomes from the Summit will be discussed at the State Visit between Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Barack Obama in Washington, D.C. next week.

For complete coverage of the U.S.-China Climate Leaders Summit, including media and copies of signed agreements, visit: http://www.lamayor.org/climatesummit2015

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