Fossil Fuels

| Press Release

Q1 lobbying: Big Oil spends over $7.2 million fighting bills to make polluters pay

Chevron, WSPA biggest spenders, with Chevron putting $3 million into pro-polluter front groups. Big Oil on pace for annual expenditure record.

Chevron is California's top corporate polluter and top spender on lobbying and other tactics to influence to state leaders. Photo by Tony Webster / Wikimedia Commons.

SACRAMENTO — Lobbying disclosures for quarter one show that the oil industry spent over $7.2 million to kill California legislation that would make corporate polluters pay their fair share. The top five oil industry spenders alone spent over $6.1 million to influence California state leaders, led by Chevron at over $3 million. The Western States … Read more

Categories Climate Justice Fossil Fuels
| Blog Post

Testimony: Invest now or California’s climate goals will be out of reach

The Fairview Fire killed two people and burned 28,000 acres near Riverside County in 2022. Photo via CALFIRE.

On April 24, 2024, the California Assembly Budget Subcommittee on the Climate Crisis, Resources, Energy, and Transportation met to hear from experts and the public on the proposed 2024-2025 state budget. Facing a multi-billion-dollar budget deficit, Governor Newsom has proposed billions in potential cuts to climate and energy investments. If approved by the legislature, the … Read more

Categories Climate Justice Fossil Fuels Transportation
| Blog Post

Testimony: Invest in clean air to protect public health

Engineers with wind turbines

On April 8, 2024, the California Assembly Committee on Budget met to hear from experts and the public on the proposed 2024-2025 state budget. Facing a multi-billion-dollar budget deficit, Governor Newsom has proposed billions in potential cuts to climate and energy investments. If approved by the legislature, the cuts could have disastrous consequences for communities … Read more

Categories Climate Justice Fossil Fuels Transportation
| Blog Post

California pensions must divest from fossil fuels

Against the backdrop of an oil and gas production surge across the United States and alarming warming trends across the globe, a California bill introduced last year is gaining traction to slow fossil fuel expansion. SB 252 (Gonzalez), the California Fossil Fuel Divestment Act, would require the two largest public pension funds in the United … Read more

Categories Climate Justice Divestment Fossil Fuels
| Take Action

Tell Governor Newsom: Hold big corporations accountable for their climate pollution

Governor Newsom at UN Climate Week in 2023, where he committed to sign SB 253 and 261. Photo: Office of the California Governor.

Updated May 13, 2024. In 2023, Governor Newsom signed landmark climate laws to set stricter standards for corporate polluters. SB 253 and SB 261 are two first-in-the-nation laws that require major corporations doing business in California to report the full scope of their climate pollution and their climate-related financial risk. Huge corporations mounted fierce opposition … Read more

Categories Fossil Fuels
| Blog Post

Opening remarks from the California Climate Policy Summit 2024

The Climate Center CEO Ellie Cohen opens the third annual California Climate Policy Summit. Photo by Lara Aburamadan / Survival Media Agency.

On March 19, 2024, The Climate Center convened more than 350 climate activists, environmental justice advocates, state decision-makers, elected officials, business leaders, scientists, and policy experts for the third annual California Climate Policy Summit. Thank you to everyone who joined us! Together, we’ll continue building support for climate policy commensurate with what science demands. Read … Read more

Categories Clean Energy Climate Justice Community Energy Resilience Divestment Fossil Fuels Public Health
| Blog Post

Testimony: Cut fossil fuel subsidies, not climate investments

Oil drilling site. Photo via Canva.

On March 21, 2024, the California Senate Budget Subcommittee on Resources, Environmental Protection, and Energy met to hear from experts and the public on the proposed 2024-2025 state budget. Facing a multi-billion-dollar budget deficit, Governor Newsom has proposed billions in potential cuts to climate and energy investments. If approved by the legislature, the cuts could … Read more

Categories Climate Justice Fossil Fuels Transportation
| Blog Post

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

Categories Climate Justice Fossil Fuels Public Health
| Take Action

Stop Big Oil’s carbon capture scam in California

Big Oil is pushing to greenlight the first-ever carbon capture and storage scam in California. Carbon capture and storage (CCS) prolongs the burning of fossil fuels and poses serious public health risks, despite Big Oil falsely advertising it as a climate solution. These projects have consistently proven ineffective, unsafe, and expensive. Fossil fuel corporations claim … Read more

Categories Climate Justice Fossil Fuels Public Health
| Blog Post

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

Categories Climate Targets Fossil Fuels