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More reasons why California must stop oil drilling

Neighborhood oil drilling in California

Despite our reputation for climate leadership, California still produces hundreds of thousands of barrels of oil per day. Each day this practice continues, the state is failing millions of residents who face toxic and dangerous conditions in their communities.  In early February in Bakersfield, an oil pipe burst in front of an elementary school, sending … Read more

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Climate impacts don’t hit Californians equally

Another year of record-breaking heat resulted in a major increase in heat-related deaths across the country in 2023, with people of color and the elderly most impacted. Here in California, extreme heat combined with wildfire smoke caused increased hospitalizations for lower-income communities as well as Latino, Black, Asian, and other communities of color.  The legacy … Read more

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Passing 1.5 degrees Celsius and what you can do about it

Last weekend’s storm that knocked out power for 800,000 Californians drove home what climate extremes mean in real life. The storm was yet another record-breaker after a year of climate disruptions that shocked scientists — from record-high temperature averages in 77 countries to severe floods in China, Greece, India, Libya, New Zealand, and the United … Read more

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All-electric buildings aren’t only for the rich

Decarbonizing existing residential buildings is critical to meeting state and global climate goals. Today, buildings in California are responsible for 25 percent of our total annual greenhouse gas emissions. To have a chance at staying below 1.5 degrees Celsius of warming, California must cut building emissions by almost 70 percent over the next six years.  … Read more

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Soaring utility bills slam working-class Californians

Californians recently got slapped with yet another electricity rate hike. PG&E is blaming the hike on the cost of burying 1,200 miles of power lines to prevent wildfires. California has some of the highest energy costs in the country and electricity rates here have nearly doubled over the past decade, with almost one-third of California … Read more

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Batteries are booming

Person charging EV

Batteries that store clean energy to power both buildings and vehicles are rapidly changing the energy landscape. In the first half of 2023, 68 gas-fired power plant projects were put on hold or canceled because they are simply no longer needed —  giant batteries that store solar and wind energy are now cheaper to build … Read more

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Climate, equity, and gas prices in California

Gas prices have been surging over the past two months across California, with average prices of about $1.20 more per gallon than the rest of the country. About $0.35 of that cannot be explained by taxes or other fees — but it could be explained by market manipulation. Just five corporations control over 90 percent … Read more

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Welcome remarks from the 2023 California Climate Policy Summit

Welcome to the 2023 California Climate Policy Summit!  Thank you for being here today. It is inspiring to see so many climate activists and leaders from across the state — from environmental and environmental justice organizations, from local government, from the faith and healthcare communities, from business and labor — welcome! Thank you for being … Read more

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The UN global climate meeting is around the corner

United Nations by John Samuel

As goes California, so goes the world. With our state poised to overtake Germany as the fourth-largest economy in the world, it’s even more essential for Sacramento policymakers to attend the 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27) in Egypt in two weeks. There, they can learn from other pioneers and first-adopters, share California’s progress, … Read more

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Testimony: Support for the Natural Carbon Sequestration and Resilience Act of 2022

On June 14, 2022, the Natural Carbon Sequestration and Resilience Act (AB 2649, C. Garcia) passed out of the California Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee with bipartisan support. AB 2649 will make California the first state in the nation to set statutory goals for naturally removing past climate pollution from the atmosphere, while also … Read more