California Governor Gavin Newsom took aim at his political rival, former US President Donald Trump, for what he called the "dumb" climate policy pursued by the country during the COP30 summit in Belem, Brazil. The Democrat's remarks came as Trump had skipped the event and withdrawn the United States from the Paris climate accord – for the second time since taking office.
Newsom, who is seen as a potential 2028 presidential candidate, stressed that a Democratic administration would rejoin the Paris Agreement "without hesitation." He also claimed that California, which already gets two-thirds of its electricity from renewable sources, is not as dumb on this issue and will continue to compete in the space.
The Governor stated it's a "moral commitment," an "economic imperative" and both – and it's an abomination that Trump has pulled away from the accords twice. He described Trump's climate stance as "stupid" and said, "We're going to lean in, we are going to assert ourselves."
Newsom made his remarks alongside Helder Barbalho, the governor of Para state, where Belem is the capital, at an event on the city's docks. Between bites of cupuacu fruit and sips of acai juice, he touted California's green credentials.
Champa Patel, executive director for governments and policy at Climate Group, said that US states can still pursue the climate blueprints left by former president Joe Biden's administration even if national governments backslide or undermine their commitments. Patel added that subnational governments are "really at the vanguard of implementation" but acknowledged their influence has limits.
Nate Hultman, a researcher at the University of Maryland's Center for Global Sustainability, said that leading states and cities enhancing action – and a climate-friendly president being elected in 2028 – could lead to US emissions falling by well over 50 percent by 2035. Much of that stems from states' authority over energy policy, cities' control of waste management, methane reduction, public transport, and more.
The remarks reflected America's divided politics on climate, with pro-oil and gas group Power the Future slamming New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham for "packing her bags for another international climate junket."
Newsom, who is seen as a potential 2028 presidential candidate, stressed that a Democratic administration would rejoin the Paris Agreement "without hesitation." He also claimed that California, which already gets two-thirds of its electricity from renewable sources, is not as dumb on this issue and will continue to compete in the space.
The Governor stated it's a "moral commitment," an "economic imperative" and both – and it's an abomination that Trump has pulled away from the accords twice. He described Trump's climate stance as "stupid" and said, "We're going to lean in, we are going to assert ourselves."
Newsom made his remarks alongside Helder Barbalho, the governor of Para state, where Belem is the capital, at an event on the city's docks. Between bites of cupuacu fruit and sips of acai juice, he touted California's green credentials.
Champa Patel, executive director for governments and policy at Climate Group, said that US states can still pursue the climate blueprints left by former president Joe Biden's administration even if national governments backslide or undermine their commitments. Patel added that subnational governments are "really at the vanguard of implementation" but acknowledged their influence has limits.
Nate Hultman, a researcher at the University of Maryland's Center for Global Sustainability, said that leading states and cities enhancing action – and a climate-friendly president being elected in 2028 – could lead to US emissions falling by well over 50 percent by 2035. Much of that stems from states' authority over energy policy, cities' control of waste management, methane reduction, public transport, and more.
The remarks reflected America's divided politics on climate, with pro-oil and gas group Power the Future slamming New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham for "packing her bags for another international climate junket."
just read about Gavin Newsom throwing shade at Donald Trump 
over climate policy 
his points about rejoining Paris Agreement and California leading the way on green energy 
are so true! 
i mean, who doesn't want to save the planet 
? 
the fact that US states can still pursue their own climate goals even if the gov't backs out is a major win 
for our future 
. and lets be real, Trump's climate stance is straight up bad 
need more people like Newsom leading the charge 
gotta ask, where's the actual data behind Newsom's claim that California is already getting 2/3 of its electricity from renewable sources? I've seen those numbers before and they always seem a bit... exaggerated 
. And what about the economic impact on industries like oil and gas that are being left behind by this whole climate shift? Are we really gonna ignore the jobs and revenue that come with it? 
, I'm so surprised Trump just pulled out of the Paris climate accord again! Interesting how Newsom's taking a strong stance on this one, calling it a moral commitment 
. It's crazy to think states can make more progress than the national government, but I guess that's what Nate Hultman said 
. Newsom's right, though - it is a moral commitment to protect our future. And I think it's awesome that states are taking matters into their own hands 
. We need more people like Nate Hultman who understand the impact we can make on climate change. I'm keeping an eye on the 2028 presidential election - fingers crossed for a candidate who actually cares about the planet 
.
. but seriously, it's so important that states are stepping up on their own and not relying on the fed gov to get things done 
. California is already killing it on renewables and we're gonna keep pushing forward with our green cred 
. we need a federal gov that actually cares about this stuff. and btw, why did trump even skip cop30 again? was it because he's too busy tweeting about aliens or something? 
. California's been leading the way on renewable energy for years and Newsom's right to call out Trump's policies as "dumb" 
Trump is just being super short-sighted. I mean, come on! He skips COP30 and then pulls the US out of the Paris Agreement... TWICE?!