California steps in as Trump skips global climate summit in Brazil
Nearly 200 countries are gathering in Belém, Brazil, this week to kick off the annual United Nations climate policy summit, but there is one notable exception: The Trump administration is not sending any senior officials.
California hopes it can fill the void. As is usually the case, the state is sending a large delegation to the Conference of the Parties, including first-time Governor Gavin Newsom and senior officials from the California Natural Resources Agency, Department of Food and Agriculture, Air Resources Board, Public Utilities Commission and the Governor’s Office of Tribal Affairs.
The state aims to build on its reputation as a global climate leader, share its experience in clean energy technology and job creation, and demonstrate its track record on climate agreements with other countries and regions.
Newsom, who is readying himself for a 2028 presidential run, told The Times that he “absolutely” sees California as the U.S. proxy at this year’s conference; This conference is the main global venue for countries to strengthen their commitments to reduce greenhouse gases.
“California has a responsibility, and also a unique opportunity right now, to remind the world that we are here, that we believe these issues are important, and that there is an opportunity here to strengthen existing alliances and develop new ones,” the governor said.
California’s strong presence at the COP also signals an escalation of Newsom’s ongoing battle with President Trump. The two clashed over immigration and climate, while the president’s energy and environmental agenda frequently targeted the state. The Trump administration this year canceled funding for major clean energy projects like California’s hydrogen hub and moved to revoke the state’s long-held authority from the federal government to set stricter vehicle emissions standards.
However, this year’s 10-21 November meeting also coincides with a critical period for the world. This is the 10th anniversary of its founding Paris AgreementA seminal agreement signed at the 2015 COP in which world leaders set a goal of limiting global warming to 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit (2 degrees Celsius) above pre-industrial levels and preferably below 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit (1.5 degrees C) to prevent the worst effects of climate change.
Most experts and scientists agree that the 2.7 degree target is no longer achievable. The last 10 years have been Earth’s hottest on record, largely driven by greenhouse gas emissions from burning fossil fuels.
“One thing is already clear: We will not be able to keep global warming below 1.5 degrees” [C] in the next few years,” said UN Secretary-General António Guterres last meeting World Meteorological Organization: “Extremism is now inevitable.”
UN’s annual Emissions Gap report The report, published alongside the conference, reveals that unless urgent and aggressive action is taken, the world is on track to warm between 4.14 and 5.04 degrees (2.3 to 2.8 degrees Celsius) this century.
However, Trump withdrew the US from the Paris Agreement on his first day back in office; This was a move he also made during the first term of his presidency. In an executive order issued in January, he said the Paris Agreement and other international climate agreements pose a problem. unfair burden Turn to the USA and direct US dollars to other countries.
According to the UN report, the US withdrawal from the Paris Agreement is expected to add another 0.18 degrees to the latest warming estimates, essentially negating a small gain since last year. Each degree of warming means greater losses for people and ecosystems, higher costs of adaptation, and greater reliance on uncertain techniques to remove carbon from the atmosphere, he notes.
However, the report underlines that the technology to deliver major emissions cuts already exists and points to developments in wind and solar energy, much of which is taking place abroad.
It’s an industry California can lead, Newsom said, adding that the Trump administration is “doubling down on stupidity” by giving China too much leeway. The Golden State has invested heavily in renewable energy sources, battery energy storage, and electrification of buildings and vehicles. California has also set ambitious decarbonization targets and has reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 21% since 2000, while its economy has grown 81%.
“We want to continue to tip the scales, and that’s about economic growth, that’s about jobs, and that’s about addressing the other crisis of our time: affordability,” Newsom said. “When you talk about energy efficiency, you’re talking about affordability. When you talk about wind and solar, you’re talking about abundance, and you’re talking about affordability.”
California has already helped spread many real technologies. The state’s aggressive emissions rules have been crucial in pushing automakers toward electric vehicles, with Toyota greatly improving its Prius for the California market. The state was the first to mandate battery energy storage in major utilities and helped jump-start the modern grid battery market. cap and trade The carbon market program has been imitated around the world.
State leaders hope to highlight more of their own state’s progress. In recent years, California has also established subnational agreements and partnerships with other regions and countries on issues such as providing clean transportation, reducing pollution, and developing hydrogen and renewable energy sources. Newsom is expected to sign additional agreements at the COP this year, but his team declined to offer a preview of what they would include.
among the state dozens of deals available It is a memorandum of understanding with Mexico’s Baja California Energy Commission that focuses on clean ports, zero-emission transportation and grid reliability; and memoranda of understanding with various provinces in China on pollution reduction and offshore wind energy. The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection also has partnerships with several states that share resources and best practices for vegetation management and fighting wildfires.
Focusing on these actions at the state and regional level has become an important part of COP conferences as the conversation gains urgency and shifts to implementation, according to Rachel Cleetus, senior policy director at the nonprofit Union of Concerned Scientists.
“There is a whole other side of the United States; we have a lot of subnational actors, including leading states, cities, and forward-looking companies, who will be at the COP and show the rest of the world that the United States understands that combating climate change is in our country’s and global interests,” Cleetus said.
California’s delegation to Brazil also includes Natural Resources Secretary Wade Crowfoot, who represents the state. Local Leaders Forum in Rio de Janeiro this week.
“This year, our federal government is not fully operational … and the rest of the world needs to understand that America is still in this fight and we are moving forward,” Crowfoot said at a briefing.
Crowfoot pointed to California’s carbon market partnership with Quebec and Denmark, which provided the groundwater monitoring technology California uses today, among other examples of international efforts.
This year’s COP conference, taking place near the Amazon River delta in northern Brazil, focuses heavily on forest restoration and nature-based solutions; California is also focusing on this issue. 30×30 program Crowfoot said they aim to protect 30% of the state’s lands and coastal waters by 2030. The Golden State already has deep ties to the region, stemming from the landmark 2019 Tropical Forest Standard program that set guidelines for carbon credits awarded to reduce deforestation.
Newsom said he will highlight climate action at the COP as the defining economic opportunity of the 21st century. He is scheduled to speak at the Milken Institute Global Investors SymposiumA gathering of leading investors and corporate executives describes how California is showing that clean energy investments are creating jobs and profits. Green jobs in the state now outnumber fossil fuel jobs 7 to 1.
“We’re not talking about this from the perspective of just trying to be good citizens,” Newsom said. “We’re also trying to be competitive geopolitical players. We want to dominate the next big global industry.”
Still, there’s much work to be done.
Every five years, Paris Agreement parties are required to submit their targets for greenhouse gas emissions. So far, the targets have “barely moved the needle,” according to the UN report, and what has been delivered this year is not aggressive enough.
“It’s devastating to see that we will now definitely exceed the 1.5C limit,” said Cleetus, of the Union of Concerned Scientists.
“But world leaders still have the power to sharply reduce these emissions,” he said.
