The Los Angeles Post

During COP30, Governor Newsom highlights subnational climate action as the defining economic opportunity of the 21st Century, while Trump sleeps

by ·

What you need to know: As COP30 begins in Brazil, Governor Newsom opened California’s visit to the country by showing how the Golden State is leading by example, proving that climate action and economic growth go hand in hand. As Donald Trump abandons American climate leadership, California continues and accelerates its climate action, urging global investors to embrace the technologies and infrastructure driving the clean energy future.

SÃO PAULO, BRAZIL — Today, Governor Gavin Newsom kicked off his official trip in Brazil by engaging in discussions on climate, emphasizing that climate action is one of the greatest economic opportunities of this century. In a fireside chat at the Milken Institute Global Investors’ Symposium with CEO Rich Ditizio, the Governor urged the world’s top financial and business leaders to look to California as proof that investments in clean energy and innovation are a win-win-win for economic growth, communities, and the health of the planet.

After the discussion, the Governor convened a roundtable in partnership with the Milken Institute and with support from Amcham Brasil. Leading climate investors and private-sector partners joined to deepen partnerships on clean energy, sustainable manufacturing, and economic growth in California and across the Americas.

“While Donald Trump is handing the future to China, California is proving that climate action, business growth, supporting workers, and good-paying jobs go hand in hand. We’re not turning backwards to the failed policies of the past — California is fighting for a clean-energy future, even as President Trump bends the knee to his Gulf State patrons and takes a nap as the world burns.” Governor Gavin Newsom

Next stop: Belém and the Amazon

Tomorrow, the Governor will travel to Belém, where he — as the Co-Chair of America Is All In and U.S. Climate Alliance — will join the world’s climate leaders and is expected to deliver plenary remarks, strengthen climate partnerships, and participate in fireside chats, including an event hosted by America Is All In with Christiana Figueres, a key architect of the Paris Agreement. Over multiple days, he will meet with counterparts from around the world to advance joint clean energy initiatives, formalize partnerships, and elevate nature-based solutions and Indigenous leadership. The Governor will also travel further into the Amazon to meet with community stewards protecting one of Earth’s most vital ecosystems.

California’s climate leadership

Pollution is down and the economy is up. Greenhouse gas emissions in California are down 21% since 2000 – even as the state’s GDP increased 81% in that same time period, all while becoming the world’s fourth largest economy.

California also continues to set clean energy records. In 2023, the state was powered by two-thirds clean energy, the largest economy in the world to achieve this level. California has also run on 100% clean electricity for part of the day almost every day this year.

Since the beginning of the Newsom Administration, battery storage has surged to over 15,000 megawatts — a 1,944%+ increase, and over 30,000 megawatts of new resources have been added to the electric grid. California now has 30 percent of the storage capacity estimated to be needed by 2045 to reach 100 percent clean electricity.

California at COP30

COP30 is an annual global meeting where world leaders, scientists, non-governmental organizations, and civil society leaders gather to discuss actions to tackle climate change. Hosted in Belém, Brazil, this year’s conference marks ten years since the Paris Agreement and emphasizes moving from ambition to action. California’s leadership, as both a founder of the Under2 Coalition and co-chair of national climate alliances, exemplifies how states and regions are driving progress — even and especially where national governments fall short.

California’s delegation includes the Governor, California Natural Resources Agency Secretary Wade Crowfoot, California Department of Food and Agriculture Secretary Karen Ross, California Public Utilities Commission President Alice Reynolds, California Air Resources Board Chair Lauren Sanchez, and Tribal Affairs Secretary Christina Snider-Ashtari.