Governor Gavin Newsom declared California a “trusted and stable partner” in global climate change policy during a conference at the Vatican. The conference, From Climate Crisis to Climate Resilience, included mayors and regional government leaders from around the world from May 15 to May 17. Newsom joined Massachusetts Governor Maura Healy and New York Governor Kathy Hochul as the three U.S. governors invited to the conference.
Newsom cited California’s historical leadership in environmental issues, noting that Governor Ronald Reagan signed into law tailpipe emissions and President Richard Nixon “codified California’s authority and allowed California to maintain its leadership where it allowed us to punch above our weight in terms of advancing our low-carbon, green growth future. “
Newsom discussed California’s current subnational climate change partnerships, including the Under2 Memorandum of Understanding and the alliance of bipartisan governors under the U.S. Climate Alliance. He also described the state’s environmental policy as independent from the federal government. “If there is anything I want to impress upon you, is the stability of California's relationship to the issue of changing the way we produce and consume energy and the issue of environmental stewardship, regardless of what happens at the national level,” Newsom said. “We are a trusted and stable partner.”
Newsom also blamed the fossil fuels industry for causing climate change as well as holding back advancements in energy technology. “The climate crisis is a fossil fuel crisis. It’s because the burning of coal, the burning of gas, and the burning of oil,” he said.
“It’s been said and I’ll repeat it: the polluted heart of the climate crisis are these fossil fuel companies that have been lying to us,” he said. “They’ve been deceiving us. They’ve known the science. They’ve denied the science. They’ve delayed advancement,” Newsom said.
“We have the tools, we have the technology, we have the capacity to address this issue at a global level, a scaled level and they’ve been fighting every single advancement. And we have got to call that out,” he said.
Newsom also accused Former President Donald Trump or “open corruption” for reportedly asking oil industry executives for $1 billion to help win the election and “roll back the environmental progress of the Biden Administration.”