Climate Politics
What California's Record Shows About Newsom’s Claims to Climate Leadership
As the US retreats on climate policy, the governor is pitching himself as a global leader.
California’s greenhouse gas emissions fell 21% between 2000 and 2023 even as the gross state product rose 81%, according to a November CARB report.
Photographer: Kevork Djansezian/Getty ImagesThe COP30 climate summit is entering its endgame in Brazil. But the US will have no influence over any international agreement as President Donald Trump’s administration declined to participate.
In that vacuum, California Governor Gavin Newsom eagerly seized the mantle of US leadership, boasting about his state’s strides in decarbonizing its economy and slashing greenhouse gas emissions.