Overview
- California finalized nonbinding agreements with Chile, Colombia, and Nigeria on methane, forests, and clean transport, plus a Brazil innovation declaration and a Pará partnership on wildfire prevention.
- State officials highlighted progress figures, reporting a 21% drop in greenhouse gas emissions since 2000 and a 2023 power mix at roughly two‑thirds clean energy, alongside 16,942 MW of battery storage.
- With federal officials absent from COP30, Newsom cast subnational governments as carrying U.S. climate momentum and criticized Trump’s policy pullback as bad for long‑term leadership.
- Critics pointed to costs at home, noting California’s nation‑leading average gasoline price of about $4.67 per gallon, which the EIA attributes to taxes, environmental compliance and special fuel requirements.
- Opponents also flagged reliance on imported crude from the Amazon Basin—about 45% of California’s oil imports—while Time’s coverage underscored Newsom’s message to investors that regulatory certainty will return.