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What you need to know about methane

New satellite data shows the United States is releasing more methane despite pledges to cut back. Cutting methane emissions is one of the fastest ways to slow the climate crisis as this planet-heating gas is roughly 80 times more powerful than carbon dioxide.  Across California, methane is released intentionally via flaring and venting at oil … Read more

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Courtenay Washkowitz joins The Climate Center as the Southern California Development Director

I am very excited to be joining The Climate Center as the Southern California Development Director. Before The Climate Center, I worked as Director of Development, Fundraising, and Strategic Partnerships at Environment America and the Public Interest Research Group (PIRG). A couple of years ago, I transitioned full-time into development work, but my interest in … Read more

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Every bit of warming prevented makes a difference

Recent extremes on every continent have been made more devastating by the burning of fossil fuels. How do we know? A new branch of science called rapid attribution studies connects the dots.  Scientists estimate climate change made the high sea temperatures that fueled Hurricane Helene 200 to 500 times more likely and caused Helene to … Read more

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A critical climate bond is on the November ballot

Please join me in voting yes on Prop 4!

Learn why The Climate Center is mobilizing support for Prop 4 in this Sacramento Bee op-ed. Thanks to climate activism across the state, including over 1,000 of The Climate Center’s supporters, a $10-billion climate resilience bond will be on the November ballot. The climate bond, known as Prop 4, includes urgently needed protections against extreme … Read more

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Testimony: Californians deserve a chance to vote for the climate this November

People's Climate March in New York City. Photo by @5byseven.

On July 3, 2024, the California legislature passed SB 867 to put a $10 billion bond to fund climate solutions before voters on the November ballot. To counter massive funding cuts to state climate programs, the bond will provide sustained investment in clean drinking water, wildfire preparedness, sustainable agriculture, and more. The following expert testimony … Read more

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California announces first-of-their-kind nature-based climate targets

California recently announced ambitious, nation-leading targets for nature-based climate solutions. These new targets were established per AB 1757, signed into law in 2022 thanks to The Climate Center’s collaborative leadership and all of you who took action in support! Over the next 20 years, the state will work to transform more than half of its … Read more

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With revised budget, Governor Newsom cuts climate investments but protects fossil fuel subsidies

SACRAMENTO — Moments ago, Governor Newsom revealed key details of his May budget revision to be released next week, cementing his intentions to cut billions of dollars from programs designed to clean the air and reduce climate pollution. Despite a multibillion-dollar deficit, the governor is yet to respond to advocates’ calls to eliminate all tax … Read more

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Budget cuts threaten California’s progress on natural climate solutions

Farmworker in California's Central Valley. Photo by Canva.

SACRAMENTO — On Monday, the California Natural Resources Agency (CNRA) released a new set of targets for nature-based climate solutions as required by AB 1757 (C. Garcia and R. Rivas, 2022). While the new targets should help California sequester more carbon on our natural and working lands than we emit, they mean little without state … Read more

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As the world burns, California leaders gathered to advance climate action

As ocean heating continues to reach record levels, global temperature records were smashed for the ninth straight month and we exceeded the dangerous threshold of 1.5 degrees Celsius warming 12 months in a row for the first time. Scientists expressed alarm that these changes signal Earth’s life-sustaining systems may be on the brink of irreversible … 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