UC Davis Chancellor Linda P.B. Katehi Tuesday joined leaders from around the world as the only academic signatory to a new public-private alliance championed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to confront climate change and build a global green economy.

A charter creating the alliance was signed at the conclusion of the Governors' Global Climate Summit 3, a two-day conference that brought 1,500 people from 80 states, provinces and countries to UC Davis for discussions of global action on the environment and the economy. UC Davis was a co-sponsor of the summit.

The new alliance, "R20 -- Regions of Climate Action," will work to fast-track the development of clean technologies, climate resilient projects and green investment, and build momentum for climate action at the national and international levels.

“This is a historic and exciting opportunity for UC Davis to be party to such a forward-looking and far-reaching global initiative,” Katehi said. “UC Davis was the right home for this summit, and we are the right university to be the academic representative to this coalition. In so many areas of energy, the environment and sustainability, our students and faculty are on the cutting edge of moving advances from the laboratory to the marketplace, making ours a safer, healthier world for all.”

Schwarzenegger said the need for the alliance is urgent.

“We can’t afford to wait for national and international movement. Action is needed now, and action is what we’re taking with R20,” the governor said. “The role of subnational governments is more important than ever, and California has shown that state and regional governments can institute policies that will grow the green economy, create jobs and clean our environment. With this unprecedented level of cooperation and collaboration, R20 will continue this leadership around the world and will help influence national and international action.”

During its first year, the R20 alliance will facilitate public-private partnerships, share best practices, accelerate the development of green innovations and begin implementing clean energy demonstration projects.

Within five years, the R20 aims to have at least 20 subnational governments enact comprehensive, low-carbon policies and implement projects using successful models from progressive subnational leaders.

Through these efforts, the R20 aims to expand the global green economy, create new green jobs and build commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The R20 will work with the United Nations Development Programme and the United Nations Environment Programme to demonstrate the critical role that subnational governments play in the fight to mitigate and adapt to climate change.

The R20 concept was first proposed by Schwarzenegger at COP15 in Copenhagen last December as a way to influence international negotiations that had come to an impasse, and show that subnational government actions can produce results.

The new alliance is called R20 in reference to the 20 regional leaders who first launched the effort at last year’s Governors’ Global Climate Summit 2 in Los Angeles.

For a complete list of signatories to the alliance charter, see the news release distributed by the governor's office: http://gov.ca.gov/press-release/16497.