Imagine a future in which California has transitioned away from dirty, deadly fossil fuels to a thriving economy powered by clean energy. A future in which our electricity is cheap, clean, and reliable. A future in which our food and farms are healthy and there is clean air and water for all. Imagine we heal nature — and ourselves — to leave a stable climate for our children and grandchildren.
We believe this vision of a more vibrant world is possible when we all work together. Thanks to your generosity, The Climate Center and our partners continue to prove that progress toward a climate-safe future is possible even in challenging times.
This year has been shaped by a confluence of hugely consequential events — the devastating LA fires, a new president hostile to science and democracy, rapidly rising electricity, grocery, and insurance bills, and the abrupt closure of two in-state oil refineries. These events have set the context for climate policy decision-makers in California, deterring them from passing bold climate policy and holding corporations accountable.
Against this backdrop, The Climate Center continued to remind decision-makers of what’s at stake — our health, our futures, and our environment — offering policy solutions to ensure California meets the climate crisis with the urgency that science demands.
This year, together with policymakers, partner organizations, scientists, business leaders, local governments, and activists, we:
- Expanded composting to draw down past climate pollution and cut methane emissions from landfills: Our co-sponsored bill, SB 279 (McNerney), was signed into law to significantly increase composting on farms and in communities. Applying compost builds healthy soils that sequester past climate pollution, enhance food security, replenish groundwater, support diverse wildlife, and reduce landfill waste.
- Reformed California’s signature climate program, Cap and Invest, to further reduce greenhouse gas emissions: We played a leadership role with legislators to improve and extend California’s Cap and Invest program (formerly “Cap and Trade”) through 2045. We also co-led the coalition that successfully secured nature-based climate solutions as the only new priority for future investment.
- Secured overwhelming, bipartisan support to scale up virtual power plants for affordable, reliable electricity: We co-sponsored AB 740 (Harabedian) to advance virtual power plants — networks of clean, local energy resources like smart thermostats, rooftop solar, and electric vehicles — that could save Californians billions of dollars on electricity bills. Despite Governor Newsom’s veto, we achieved an initial goal of educating and winning strong support from legislators.
- Advanced geothermal energy for clean, round-the-clock power: We helped pass AB 531 (Rogers), which will enable faster permitting for clean geothermal energy projects to help meet California’s growing electricity demand.
- Secured $3.4 billion for urgent investment in climate solutions: After working last year to pass the $10 billion climate bond overwhelmingly approved by voters in the 2024 election, we helped ensure that some Prop 4 dollars will be invested now in extreme heat solutions, wildfire resilience, clean air and water, and climate-smart agriculture.
As encouraging as this progress is, we know we must do more. Emissions are rising faster than ever recorded, the ocean has reached record-high temperatures, one global climate tipping point has already been breached, and extreme weather events are ruining lives and livelihoods on every continent, every day.
California’s role in keeping climate progress alive is more urgent than ever.
As the fourth-largest economy in the world, California must show the world that acting boldly on climate can solve multiple pressing challenges at once. Making climate solutions a reality creates good jobs, healthy food, clean air and water, affordable and reliable electricity — all essential for our communities to thrive.
To all of you who gave us your attention, money, and activism this year, thank you! Your dedication is an inspiration. Together, we will double down and grow our collaborative work to secure a climate-safe future for all.
This letter first appeared in The Climate Center’s 2025 Annual Report.
Ellie Cohen
Chief Executive Officer
