- In The News
- November 2023
The Hill: California Pushing to Formalize Role of Subnational Governments at Global Climate Talks
November 28, 2023
Before COP28, California state officials discussed how states and cities are taking climate action on the global stage.
“Trump withdrew from the treaty in November 2020 after promising to do so since June 2017 — a decision that Biden then reversed during the first days of his presidency.
But in the intervening period, states formed the U.S. Climate Alliance, which Sanchez described as an effort to ascertain whether subnational entities could ‘still uphold the American commitment to the Paris Agreement.’
‘That was really meaningful for the global community as it related to messaging,’ she said.
This campaign showed ‘that America was still very committed to climate action, despite what our national government’s posture was,’ according to Sanchez.
She cited similar such efforts during the administrations of Brazil’s former president, Jair Bolsonaro, and of Australia’s former prime minister, Scott Morrison.
‘There’s a lot of good precedent for — despite the change in national governments — making sure we’re able to account for formalize and advance the subnational commitments to climate action,’ Sanchez added.”
About the Alliance
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.
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