NEW YORK, NY — The U.S. Climate Alliance, a bipartisan coalition of 24 governors representing approximately 60 percent of the U.S. economy and 55 percent of the U.S. population, today released new data showing its members have collectively reduced net greenhouse gas emissions 24 percent below 2005 levels, while increasing their collective GDP by 34 percent. The figures, updated to reflect progress in 2023, continue the coalition’s trend of declining emissions over the last 18 years and put its near-term target of reducing net emissions 26 percent by 2025 within reach.   

Alliance executive committee member New York Governor Kathy Hochul made the announcement at a convening during Climate Week NYC featuring fellow executive committee member Delaware Gov. Matt Meyer alongside top officials from across the coalition.  

“This new analysis proves what we already know: our climate action is delivering real results,” said New York Governor Kathy Hochul who also announced the next steps for her landmark $1 billion Sustainable Future Program to accelerate capital projects in New York’s transition to a cleaner, greener future at today’s convening. “We’re cutting pollution, growing our economies, and showing the nation that our bold measures are working. Every attempt to derail our progress only strengthens our resolve and brings us closer together. And we’re not stopping here — we will continue raising the bar, protecting our communities and building a cleaner, healthier future.” 

“At a time when our federal government is choosing not to lead — is choosing profits over people — it is inspiring for me as one of 24 governors in this Alliance to sit with all of you to say: ‘No, people really matter,’” said Delaware Governor Matt Meyer at today’s Alliance convening. “And we’re going make the hard decisions and the hard investments to provide a future for this country that will last for generations to come.”

Today’s announcement comes as the federal government seeks to end its Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program, which ensures Americans have access to information on emissions from refineries, power plants, oil wells, landfills, and other sources of pollution. 

“While the federal government moves to stop measuring pollution, deny science, and obstruct climate action, the Alliance and its members are relentlessly pressing forward,” said U.S. Climate Alliance Executive Director Casey Katims. “These new pollution reduction figures show that when we come together, set big goals, and take bold action, we build healthier communities and a stronger economy.” 

The new analysis also found that Alliance members are continuing to reduce emissions faster than the rest of the U.S. Compared to the 24 percent reduction achieved by the Alliance between 2005 and 2023, non-Alliance states and territories reduced their net collective greenhouse gas emissions by only 16 percent. At the same time, Alliance members continued to employ more clean energy workers, achieve lower levels of harmful air pollutants, and execute more pre-disaster planning than the rest of the country.  

The Alliance’s long-term progress has been driven primarily by the transition to cleaner electricity generation, which has helped cut the coalition’s electricity sector emissions by 45 percent since 2005. Emissions from the transportation sector, which remains the Alliance’s largest source of emissions, have also decreased 17 percent below 2005 levels.  

At the convening, Alliance members reported on the state of climate action across America and highlighted new laws, initiatives, and executive orders they have advanced in their states. Recent actions include: 

• Arizona Gov. Hobbs signed an executive order to reduce barriers to expand the state’s energy potential and lower energy costs. It leverages state resources and directs state agencies to identify opportunities to expedite energy project deployment, reduce energy costs, and expand energy affordability programs.  

• California Gov. Newsom signed sweeping climate policy reforms to lower electricity costs for millions of Californians, accelerate clean energy projects by making them easier and cheaper to build, protect people from catastrophic wildfire, and extend the state’s cap-and-invest program through 2045 to continue cutting climate pollution and transitioning to the clean economy of the future.  

• Maine Gov. Mills signed legislation she introduced with bipartisan support to strengthen the preparedness and resiliency of the state’s communities, homeowners, businesses, and emergency response leaders for extreme weather, building on her administration’s historic resilience investments and successful program to support resilience in Maine communities.  

• Massachusetts Gov. Healey advanced nation-leading regulations to fast-track the development of housing in Massachusetts with climate-aligned criteria that promote dense, land-efficient, resilient, transit-oriented, and energy-efficient construction.  

• Maryland Gov. Moore signed an executive order advancing environmental justice for the state’s communities burdened by pollution. The order establishes an interagency advisory council to support local governments, maximizes funding opportunities, and mandates state agencies to designate an environmental justice officer and develop a biennial environmental justice strategic plan.  

• North Carolina Gov. Stein signed an executive order to establish the North Carolina Energy Policy Task Force to recommend policies that will strengthen the state’s clean energy economy and manage increasing electricity demand while maintaining affordability, reliability, and carbon emissions reductions. 

• New Jersey Gov. Murphy’s administration is advancing reforms to the state’s inland and coastal floodplain management programs and regulations — known as Resilient Environments and Landscapes, or “REAL” — to be future-focused and informed by state-specific climate science. These reforms will better support New Jersey’s communities, residents, and businesses in building their resilience to sea-level rise, extreme weather, chronic flooding, and other climate change impacts.  

• Washington Gov. Ferguson and the Washington State Department of Ecology launched ZEVergreen, a statewide effort to help Washingtonians save money by expanding access to clean vehicles and continue reducing pollution. The effort, which comes in response to the federal government cutting off support for zero-emission vehicles, kicks off with a series of workshops that will inform policy ideas for 2026.  

• Wisconsin Governor Evers launched the Resilience and Prosperity in Rural Northern Wisconsin project to install microgrids featuring solar power, battery storage, and smart controls in the state’s northernmost area. This initiative partners with Tribal and local government and aims to expand clean energy access in 28 rural communities across Wisconsin, creating projects that serve as scalable models to enhance energy resilience, promote clean energy adoption, and generate green jobs for rural areas.   

Since launching the Alliance more than eight years ago, members have advanced more than 2,300 bold actions and innovative policies to tackle climate pollution and build resilience to climate impacts. This November, the Alliance will report on this progress to the international community, and push to catalyze even deeper partnership and action, at the Local Leaders Forum and COP30 in Brazil.