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WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Climate Alliance, a bipartisan coalition of 25 governors representing approximately 60 percent of the U.S. economy and 55 percent of the U.S. population, today announced that New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, alongside other top climate officials from California, Maryland, and New Mexico, will lead its delegation at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28), which runs from November 30 through December 12, 2023 in Dubai.
“The story of American progress can’t be told without the Alliance’s states and territories and we’re proud to once again share how we’re supercharging climate action on the global stage at the UN Climate Change Conference,” said U.S. Climate Alliance Executive Director Casey Katims.
Together, these leaders will spotlight how the Alliance is helping secure America’s net-zero future through high-impact, state-led action at several Alliance-organized convenings. These include panels at the U.S. Center focused on states, cities, and businesses delivering on the Inflation Reduction Act and accelerating climate innovation and ambition; an event announcing the release of new Alliance data on its progress toward reducing emissions and achieving collective climate goals; and a discussion among top women leaders in the Alliance and its partner organizations.
These events will also feature top Biden administration officials, including Senior Advisor to the President for Clean Energy Innovation and Implementation John Podesta and White House National Climate Advisor Ali Zaidi. The Alliance’s delegation will participate in a number of other events and convenings throughout COP28, including the Local Climate Action Summit, a first-of-its-kind gathering from December 1-2, 2023 to recognize the critical role local leaders play in reducing emissions, addressing climate risk, and supercharging national efforts to move further and faster on climate progress.
U.S. Climate Alliance-Affiliated Events at COP (all times local):
Panel 1: Bold Investment for a Brighter Future: States, Cities, and Businesses Delivering on the Promise of the Inflation Reduction Act
Just a little over a year ago, President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act, which unleashed a wave of unprecedented climate and clean energy investment and innovation across America. In this panel, leaders at the state, local, and private sector levels come together to discuss how the whole of U.S. society is leveraging this historic law to drive down emissions while improving public health, creating green jobs, cutting consumer costs, growing the economy, advancing environmental justice, and transforming our future.
Panel 2: Ambitious and Just: Climate Innovation and Action by U.S. States, Cities, and Regions
This panel will showcase specific innovative efforts across U.S. states, regions, and cities – covering both mitigation and resilience – and highlight through these projects the importance of ambitious subnational action for achieving not just national, but also global climate goals.
Time/Location: 12:30-1:45pm; U.S. Center
Livestream: www.youtube.com/user/TheUSCenter
Participants:
This year, we’ve seen it all: unprecedented firestorms and wildfire smoke, extreme heat and drought, severe wind and hail, and catastrophic flooding. No state, no community has been spared. The climate crisis is here – and this is America’s all-hands-on-deck moment. Join top state officials from across the U.S. Climate Alliance for a discussion on how this climate action coalition is answering the call. At the event, the Alliance will also announce new data on the progress its states and territories are making toward near- and long-term emission reduction targets and the health, economic, and environmental benefits of this action.
Time/Location: 4-5pm; America Is All In Action Center
Livestream: www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWnx7C7XiXE
Participants:
Women in the U.S. Climate Alliance’s 25 states and territories and across the Alliance’s partner organizations are advancing cutting-edge climate action and solutions and accelerating America’s transition to a net-zero future. For a second year running, join top female leaders from Alliance states, including California and Maryland, and our partner organizations, including The Climate Registry, Sequoia Climate Foundation, and Climate Mayors for a discussion on how they got their start, the unique perspectives they bring, challenges they face in their roles, their top climate and clean energy priorities, opportunities for collaboration, and much, much more.
Time/Location: 4:30-5:30pm; The Climate Registry Pathways to 1.5 Pavilion
Livestream: Register to watch the livestream here.
Participants:
Launched on June 1, 2017 by the governors of Washington, New York, and California to help fill the void left by the previous administration’s decision to withdraw the U.S. from the Paris Agreement, the Alliance has grown to include 24 governors from across the U.S. representing approximately 60% of the U.S. economy and 55% of the U.S. population. Governors in the Alliance have pledged to collectively reduce net greenhouse gas emissions by at least 26-28% by 2025, 50-52% by 2030, and 61-66% 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 demonstrate that climate action goes hand-in-hand with economic growth, job creation, and better public health. The Alliance reduced its collective net greenhouse gas emissions by 19% between 2005 and 2022, while increasing collective GDP by 30%, and is on track to meet its near-term climate goal by reducing collective GHG emissions 26% below 2005 levels by 2025. The coalition’s states and territories are employing more workers in the clean energy sector, achieving lower levels of dangerous air pollutants, and preparing more effectively for climate impacts and executing more pre-disaster planning than the rest of the country.
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