Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak today announced his plans to join the U.S. Climate Alliance. He stated that “I said in my State of the State address that I will not spend a single second debating the reality of climate change and its impact on our state. By joining the U.S. Climate Alliance, we are taking bold steps to ensure a better, healthier future for our children. With these ambitious goals and commitments to reduce our carbon footprint, I am determined to make Nevada part of the solution.”
By joining the Alliance, governors commit to:
With Nevada as its newest member, the Alliance represents over half (51 percent) of the U.S. population and an $11 trillion economy. The climate and clean energy policies of these states have created 1.6 million renewable energy and energy efficiency jobs, equivalent to over half of all clean energy jobs in the United States. The climate and clean energy policies Alliance states have put into place cover 36 percent of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions.
U.S. Climate Alliance Executive Director Julie Cerqueira welcomed Governor Sisolak’s announcement, noting, “Under Governor Sisolak’s leadership, Nevadans will not only benefit from access to affordable, clean energy but also from the investments and job creation an ambitious energy agenda will attract. His goal of achieving a minimum of 50% in renewable energy by 2030 is one of the most ambitious clean energy goals in the country. We welcome Governor Sisolak into the Alliance, where Nevada will be able to share its leadership, and benefit from the support of other Alliance states in helping to deliver a bold climate agenda.”
The Alliance was formed in June 2017 in response to President Trump’s announced intent to withdraw the U.S. from the Paris Agreement. Each state commits to reducing their emissions in line with the U.S. target under Paris, and all have enacted new climate policy measures since joining the Alliance. In September, the Alliance announced a suite of new commitments, including the deployment of $1.4 billion to decarbonize transportation and take steps to protect natural and working lands as carbon sinks by 2020.
Launched in 2017 by the governors of Washington, New York, and California to help fill the void left by the U.S. federal government’s withdrawal from the Paris Agreement, the Alliance has grown to include 24 governors from across the U.S. representing approximately 60 percent of the U.S. economy and 55 percent of the U.S. population. Governors in the Alliance have pledged to collectively reduce net greenhouse gas emissions by at least 26-28 percent by 2025, 50-52 percent by 2030, and 61-66 percent by 2035, all below 2005 levels, and collectively achieve overall net-zero greenhouse gas emissions as soon as practicable, and no later than 2050.
The Alliance’s states and territories continue to advance innovative and impactful climate solutions to grow the economy, create jobs, and protect public health, and have a long record of action and results. In fact, the latest data shows that as of 2023, the Alliance has reduced its collective net greenhouse gas emissions by 24 percent below 2005 levels, while increasing collective GDP by 34 percent, and is on track to meet its near-term climate goal of reducing collective greenhouse gas emissions 26 percent below 2005 levels by 2025.
###
