Our Impact
We know what it takes to turn good ideas into policy. Together with local governments, business leaders, environmental justice advocates, climate scientists, and more, we’re pushing lawmakers in Sacramento to enact policies that will secure a climate-safe future for all. Our recent achievements include:
Advocacy for accelerated, equitable climate policies
Enacting pioneering bidirectional charging policy: We led the charge for clean, reliable, distributed energy in the California legislature, mobilizing nearly 200 businesses and organizations to pass SB 59 (Skinner). This bill — the first of its kind in the nation — authorizes the California Energy Commission to require electric vehicles to have bidirectional charging capability. In the past two years, we’ve secured dozens of news stories highlighting the benefits of this vision, including an editorial in the Los Angeles Times and an op-ed in the San Francisco Chronicle. Putting more bidirectional EVs on the road will help California keep the lights on, clean the air, and lower prices for ratepayers. Governor Newsom signed SB 59 into law on September 27, 2024.
Leading the nation in natural climate solutions: In April 2024, California unveiled exciting, new targets for nature-based climate solutions. The targets were established per AB 1757 (C. Garcia), signed into law in 2022 thanks to The Climate Center’s collaborative leadership. Over the next 20 years, the state will work to realize these 81 new targets to transform more than half of its 104 million acres into healthier, climate-resilient, and carbon-sequestering landscapes, spanning farms, ranches, forests, grasslands, wetlands, and urban areas.
Passing a historic, $10 billion climate bond: In November 2024, California voters passed Prop 4, a $10 billion climate bond, by a 59-41 margin. Prop 4 will invest $10 billion in clean air and water, solutions to extreme heat, wildfire readiness, climate-friendly agriculture, and more. Together with a large coalition of leading climate, environmental, and health organizations, The Climate Center helped pass the bond out of the legislature and place it on the November ballot. We also worked with the authors of Prop 4 to ensure robust investment in natural climate solutions, provided lead testimony in the legislature, and placed an op-ed in the Sacramento Bee to educate voters.
Defending California’s climate progress: In 2024, California faced a multi-billion-dollar budget deficit. In January, Governor Newsom proposed $4.7 billion in cuts and delays to life-saving climate and clean energy investments. We worked with lawmakers, the governor’s office, and coalition partners to defend investments in equitable climate solutions. Our advocacy helped restore funding for biking and walking infrastructure, electric vehicle incentives for disadvantaged communities, offshore wind power development, programs to make building electrification accessible to working-class Californians, climate-beneficial agriculture, and more.
Ending state fossil fuel subsidies and divesting from Big Oil: We’re leading the movement to end state subsidies and tax breaks for oil and gas corporations. Most recently, we educated lawmakers and the public about the billions of dollars California could potentially save by ending oil and gas subsidies, including publishing an op-ed in Capitol Weekly. Our work to make Big Oil pay its fair share in taxes will continue in 2025 and beyond. We’re now working with state agencies to secure a detailed analysis of what these subsidies cost the state.
Making climate solutions a reality: We activated thousands of Californians and advocated in the legislature to enact new laws that will make polluters pay, grow the clean energy economy, and more. In 2024, these included:
- AB 1866 (Hart), which accelerates the cleanup of more than 40,000 toxic, idle oil wells across California.
- AB 3233 (Addis), which affirms the rights of local governments to regulate oil and gas drilling within their jurisdictions.
- AB 1359 (Papan), which supports exploratory, low-carbon geothermal projects that can provide 24/7 power to complement solar and wind energy.
- SB 1101 (Limón), which will mitigate wildfire damage by streamlining the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection’s contracting and procurement process for beneficial fire, including prescribed burning, cultural fire practices, and natural fire management.
Holding corporate climate polluters accountable: We mobilized thousands of our supporters to help pass a suite of bills holding corporate polluters accountable in 2023, including:
- SB 253, the Corporate Climate Data Accountability Act, which requires U.S.-based corporations doing business in California that make over $1 billion annually to publicly disclose their full carbon footprint;
- SB 261, the Climate-Related Financial Risk Act, which requires corporations, financial institutions, and insurers to report on climate-related financial risk;
- AB 1167, the Orphan Well Bonding Requirements Act, which requires that new owners and operators of oil and gas wells post bonds to pay for properly closing them before they are abandoned, instead of sticking taxpayers with the bill; and
- SB X1-2, a first-in-the-nation law designed to prevent gas price-gouging and curb oil corporations’ windfall profits.
Advancing clean, locally-controlled energy: We played a pivotal role in scaling Community Choice Energy across California, bringing clean, affordable, reliable energy to more than 11 million people. Most recently, we helped bring Community Choice Energy to Stockton, a huge step forward for the Central Valley’s energy future.
Policy research and outreach
Our research and reports provide guidance on how to make bold climate solutions a reality in California. These resources help to direct state policies and investments toward the most equitable, effective climate solutions.
We convene experts and decision-makers for regular webinars on the most pressing climate challenges of our time. In the last year, our webinars reached more than 20,000 activists, business leaders, and government officials and engaged them to take action for a climate-safe future.
As an official observer organization to the UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change), we secured entrance badges for California legislators and other state decision-makers to attend COP26 in Glasgow, United Kingdom, COP27 in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, COP28 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan. This allows state leaders to share California’s climate progress on a global stage while also learning from their counterparts around the world, catalyzing bolder action at home.
Mobilizing for policy change
Partnerships are critical to our success. We’re actively engaged in multiple statewide and regional coalitions, including the Building Decarbonization Coalition, the Central Valley Air Quality Coalition, Charge Ahead Coalition, Coalition for a California Green New Deal, Green California, Healthy Soils Network, Last Chance Alliance, Let’s Green CA, the Refinery Transitions Working Group, VISIÓN Allies, and more.
We also lead coalitions, including:
- Budget Defense Coalition: Aimed at protecting investments in climate solutions during a time of budget austerity — especially those that benefit communities on the frontlines of the climate crisis — this coalition includes The Climate Center, the American Lung Association in California, California Environmental Voters, Climate Action California, Climate Health Now, the Coalition for Clean Air, Consumer Watchdog, Environment California, Food and Water Watch, The Greenlining Institute, Leadership Counsel for Justice and Accountability, Mothers Out Front Silicon Valley, NextGen California, and the Sunflower Alliance.
- Microgrid Equity Coalition: The Microgrid Equity Coalition includes Reclaim Our Power, California Environmental Justice Alliance, California Alliance for Community Energy, Vote Solar, the Sierra Club, and Grid Alternatives. Together, we advocate for environmental justice in proceedings before the California Public Utilities Commission and the California Energy Commission. In April 2023, The Climate Center brought on a Community Energy Resilience Project Manager to help our local partners access federal and state funding for clean, resilient, distributed energy projects.
- Natural and Working Lands Coalition: The Climate Center co-convenes 26 organizations from across California to advance natural carbon sequestration and other natural climate solutions. These include the California Climate and Agriculture Network, Carbon Cycle Institute, Pacific Forest Trust, Natural Resources Defense Council, the Nature Conservancy, TreePeople, and more.
California Climate Policy Summit and Lobby Day: In March 2024, we hosted the third annual California Climate Policy Summit in Sacramento. The event sold out, bringing together more than 350 climate, environmental justice, business, and labor leaders. Featured guests included Speaker of the Assembly Robert Rivas, California Air Resources Board Chair Liane Randolph, and several state lawmakers. We also presented the inaugural Climate Leadership Award to Senator Nancy Skinner in recognition of her decades-long pursuit of a climate-safe future.
Climate-Safe California endorsements: We’ve secured more than 2,000 endorsements of the Climate-Safe California platform, including hundreds of elected officials, non-governmental organizations, businesses, and local governments, as well as more than 1,000 individuals throughout California.
