Governor Gavin Newsom's administration wrapped up a landmark trip to Climate Week NYC, announcing new global initiatives, major progress toward expanding California's carbon market, and deepened cooperation with long-standing partners.
The delegation met with international leaders and filled what the release described as the climate leadership void left by the Trump administration. "California is the antidote to Donald Trump — representing risk takers, innovators, leaders who believe in protecting our future and building a better world for our children," Newsom said. "California is demonstrating to the world what it looks like to keep our promises and deliver on our goals."
Climate Week NYC convenes government leaders, businesses, investors, advocates, researchers, philanthropies, and community leaders from around the world to advance practical climate solutions. Newsom participated to highlight California's record of cutting pollution while growing the economy and to accelerate progress on clean energy, zero-emission transportation, climate resilience, and economic opportunity.
California Secretary for Natural Resources Wade Crowfoot took part in the Under2 Coalition's Governor's Dialogue on Subnational Leadership and met with UN Framework Convention on Climate Change Executive Secretary Simon Stiell. He also met with partners including Quebec, Catalonia, and the Western Cape on preparing for droughts and floods, protecting residents during heat waves, and creating cleaner, more affordable energy.
CalEPA Secretary Yana Garcia highlighted the state's Cap-and-Invest program, MyFirstEV, and energy infrastructure investments, and gave remarks at the Subnational Methane Coalition's "Hub Live: Super Pollutant Sprint," where Catalonia joined the coalition California co-founded.
California Air Resources Board Chair Lauren Sanchez discussed the state's Climate Disclosure program, which the release said fills a federal gap left by the stalled U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission climate disclosure rule, and took part in a conversation about this year's Cap-and-Invest rulemaking.
California Energy Commission Chair David Hochschild spoke at the California Climate Leadership Forum and the Global Offshore Wind Alliance Panel, while California Department of Food and Agriculture Secretary Karen Ross signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Catalonia, Spain, establishing a framework for collaboration on shared agricultural challenges driven by climate change.
During the Newsom administration, California has formed over 70 international partnerships. This year at Climate Week NYC, California and Finland signed a partnership on clean technology, aerospace and defense innovation, health and life sciences, emerging technologies, quantum computing, cybersecurity, research, and sustainable forest bioeconomy. California and Germany pledged deeper cooperation on green and renewable technologies, and California and the United Kingdom signed a memorandum of understanding on clean energy technologies, climate resilience, decarbonizing transportation, and protecting the natural environment.
Since Newsom took office in 2019, California has added more than 37,000 megawatts of utility-scale clean and renewable energy to the grid, with battery storage ramping up from fewer than 700 MW to more than 21,000 MW. The state leads the nation in clean energy jobs with 552,300 workers, nearly twice as many as second-ranked Texas, according to a 2025 report from E2.