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
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
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
The final agreement reached at COP28, the annual United Nations climate conference that concluded in December, recognized the need to transition away from fossil fuels. But it contained almost no details about how nations can wean themselves off of oil, gas, and coal. In this webinar, we heard from California legislators, The Climate Center’s own … Read more
Last November, The Climate Center’s Barry Vesser, Baani Behniwal, and Marc Victoria traveled to Dubai, United Arab Emirates for COP28 — the UN’s annual climate conference — to help coordinate the California delegation. With a record attendance of 84,000 people from 193 countries, this COP was massive. You may be wondering why The Climate Center, … Read more
On March 20 2024, the day after the California Climate Policy Summit, The Climate Center and our partners led a day of advocacy at state legislative offices. This was an opportunity to meet directly with lawmakers and their staff to deliver a clear and compelling message about the bills we want to see California pass … Read more
California passed a number of important bills into law this year, including bills to hold corporations accountable for their carbon emissions, codify 30×30 conservation goals, move transportation toward zero-emissions vehicles and infrastructure, make it easier to implement transmission infrastructure and finance large-scale infrastructure projects, and reign in oil industry greed at the expense of consumers. … Read more
Executive Summary and Key Recommendations The California Cap and Trade Program plays a pivotal role in the state’s efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. A review of the program ahead of the upcoming 2025 compliance period has opened a critical window of opportunity to address and correct the program’s recognized shortcomings. In this policy brief, … Read more
Protecting 30 percent of the world’s lands and waters by 2030 (30×30) to prevent biodiversity loss is often viewed as a conservation-focused goal. But nature-based solutions and efforts to achieve 30×30 have the potential to contribute significantly to broader climate objectives. This conversation examined the relationship between nature and climate, drawing from real-world examples and … Read more
Thank you to everyone who joined us for the third annual California Climate Policy Summit! We’re honored to have brought together more than 350 climate activists, environmental justice advocates, state decision-makers, elected officials, business leaders, scientists, and policy experts to build support for climate policy commensurate with what science demands. Additional videos, session transcripts, slides, and … Read more
