SAN FRANCISCO – Hours after convening the world’s climate leaders in San Francisco, California Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. joined Baden-Württemberg Minister-President Winfried Kretschmann Saturday to sign an agreement establishing a sister state relationship between California and Baden-Württemberg, Germany.

The cities pledge to join forces to further strengthen climate, energy and economic ties and collaborate on areas including urban infrastructure, technology and scientific research.

“The German connection is alive and well in California,” Brown said. “The fact that this little Under2 Coalition has grown shows you that from small beginnings we get very large outcomes, as long as we keep persevering.”

The agreement builds upon more than three years of significant collaboration between California and Baden-Württemberg.

In 2015, California and Baden-Württemberg partnered to launch the Under2 Coalition, a historic international climate partnership of states, provinces and countries committed to limiting the increase in global average temperature to below 2 degrees Celsius.

With new members added at the Summit, this coalition includes 222 jurisdictions on 6 continents, representing more than 1.3 billion people and $34 trillion in GDP – equivalent to 17 percent of the global population and 43 percent of the global economy.

Last November, Brown and Kretschmann welcomed new signatories to the Under2 Coalition in Bonn, where the Governor served as Special Advisor for States and Regions at the UN Climate Change Conference. Brown also traveled to Stuttgart, Germany where he met with Kretschmann and blasted climate change “denialists” during remarks before the Baden-Württemberg state parliament.

Saturday’s agreement follows the conclusion of the Global Climate Action Summit, where Friday Brown announced in closing remarks that the state of California is teaming up with San Francisco-based Earth-imaging company Planet Labs to develop and eventually launch a satellite that will track climate change-causing pollutants with unprecedented precision and help the world dramatically reduce these destructive emissions.

Saturday’s agreement can be viewed here.