Press Release

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Senate Appropriations Committee kills SB 12, holding back California’s climate ambition

Activists gather near an Inglewood Oil Field in Los Angeles, one of the largest contiguous urban oil fields in the country, to urge the Governor of California to take action to phase out fossil fuels, beginning with those within 2500 feet of homes and other sensitive sites.

SACRAMENTO — Today, the Senate Appropriations Committee held SB 12, one of the most ambitious pieces of climate legislation in California this year. Introduced by Senator Henry Stern and sponsored by The Climate Center, the bill would have required California to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55 percent below 1990 levels by 2030, … Read more

Categories Climate Justice Climate Targets
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Bill for reliable, clean energy using electric vehicle batteries passes out of Senate Appropriations Committee

Smith electric school bus

SACRAMENTO — Today, SB 233 advanced out of the California Senate Appropriations Committee. Introduced by Senator Nancy Skinner and co-sponsored by The Climate Center, Nuvve, and the Union of Concerned Scientists, the bill will require most new electric vehicles (EVs) sold in California to have bidirectional charging capability by 2030 (amended from 2027). Bidirectional charging … Read more

Categories Clean Energy Community Energy Resilience Transportation
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Governor Newsom follows through on $6 billion cut to climate investments in California budget – The Climate Center response

SACRAMENTO — Facing a projected overall budget deficit of $31.5 billion, Governor Gavin Newsom announced today that he intends to follow through on his January proposal to cut $6 billion from climate and energy programs in California’s 2023-2024 budget. If approved by the legislature, that would bring California’s multi-year climate spending down to $48 billion, an … Read more

Categories Carbon Sequestration Clean Energy Fossil Fuels Transportation
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New bill leverages California’s electric vehicle boom to avoid power outages

SACRAMENTO — SB 233, introduced by Senator Nancy Skinner (D-Berkeley) and sponsored by The Climate Center, aims to unlock the potential for California’s millions of electric vehicles to shore up the electric grid and power homes during outages.  The bill will require most new electric vehicles (EVs) and electric vehicle supply equipment sold in California … Read more

Categories Community Energy Resilience Transportation
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New IPCC report calls for urgent action on climate (again)

United Nations

SAN FRANCISCO, March 20, 2023 — Earlier today, the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released its AR6 Synthesis Report. The report points to “more than a century of burning fossil fuels” as the driving force behind the climate crisis, increasingly extreme weather, and instability across the globe.  In response, The Climate Center CEO … Read more

Categories Climate Justice Fossil Fuels
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Bill to accelerate California’s 2030 climate target passes out of first committee

Climate protest

SACRAMENTO — Earlier today, SB 12, introduced by Senator Henry Stern and sponsored by The Climate Center, passed out of the Senate Environmental Quality Committee by a final vote of five to two. The bill would require California to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55 percent below 1990 levels by 2030, accelerating the … Read more

Categories Climate Targets
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MEDIA ADVISORY: Meet with lawmakers, activists, and scientists at the California Climate Policy Summit 2023

Dr. J Mijin Cha at the California Climate Policy Summit 2022

SACRAMENTO — The second annual California Climate Policy Summit, hosted by The Climate Center on April 11, 2023, will bring together elected and business leaders, policy experts, activists, and environmental justice advocates to build support for climate policy commensurate with what science demands.  What: Our preliminary agenda includes presentations by scientists, lawmakers, and activists, as … Read more

Categories Carbon Sequestration Clean Energy Climate Justice Community Energy Resilience Fossil Fuels Public Health Transportation
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Oil corporations spend millions of dollars to block California public health law

SAN FRANCISCO — Late last week, the California Secretary of State’s office announced that it has certified the oil industry-backed referendum challenging SB 1137. The law, passed last year, would have prohibited new oil drilling within 3,200 feet of sensitive sites like homes, schools, hospitals, and prisons. The referendum will go before voters on the … Read more

Categories Climate Justice Fossil Fuels Public Health
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California’s top oil and gas regulator steps down – The Climate Center response

SAN FRANCISCO — Yesterday, Supervisor Uduak-Joe Ntuk announced that he will be stepping down as leader of the California Geologic Energy Management Division (CalGEM). Ntuk was appointed to the role — which oversees permitting for oil and gas drilling, public health and safety, and compliance with environmental regulations — by Governor Gavin Newsom in 2019. … Read more

Categories Climate Justice Fossil Fuels Public Health
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$6 billion cut from climate programs in California state budget – The Climate Center response

California Flag

SACRAMENTO, January 11, 2023 — Facing a projected overall budget deficit of $22.5 billion, Governor Gavin Newsom announced yesterday $6 billion in proposed cuts to climate and energy programs in the state’s 2023-2024 budget. If approved by the legislature in May, that would bring California’s multi-year climate spending down to $48 billion, an 11 percent … Read more

Categories Carbon Sequestration Clean Energy Community Energy Resilience Transportation