California joins alliance to end reliance on fossil fuels
Governor Gavin Newsom on Thursday announced California has joined the Beyond Oil & Gas Alliance (BOGA) launched at the United Nations Climate Change Conference.
The alliance consist and national and other governments looking to advance the transition away from oil and gas production. Led by Costa Rica and Denmark, the first-of-its-kind alliance is designed to help states and nations to phase out oil and gas production and support efforts to build a clean energy economy.
“California is a global leader in combating the climate crisis with bold action to protect our planet while growing the economy, but we can’t meet the challenge of this existential threat alone,” Newsom said. “With fossil fuels powering much of the global energy system, it’s critical that we partner with other states and nations around the world to build momentum for the phase-out of oil and gas production. Together, we must move beyond oil and usher in a cleaner and greener future that safeguards our communities, environment and the economy.”
The new partnership comes on the heels of Newsom’s announcement last month the state is moving to and expand the buffer zones preventing oil and gas drilling from within a certain distance of certain areas such as schools in an attempt to phase out fossil fuels. The Governor has also taken action to end the issuance of new fracking permits by 2024 and move the state toward phasing out oil drilling. By 2045. Newsom has already lead an initiative to have the state using all electric vehicles by 2035.
Newsom also announced a $15 billion climate package this year to tackle wildfires and the drought, help communities transition during the climate crisis and support the state’s Zero-emission Vehicle goals. The Governor has also taken environmental actions, including efforts to protect Californians from pollution and build climate resilience in disadvantaged communities.
Newsom recently tweeted the state is home to more than 485,000 clean energy jobs. Newsom’s administration reported the state has surpass one million zero-emission vehicle sales and create six times more clean jobs than fossil fuel jobs.
California’s delegation at the Climate Change Conference joined top U.S. climate officials and others to discuss further collaboration, including bilateral meetings with officials from the China, Mexico and Canada on a wide array of climate action. ‘
On Wednesday Newsom announced Califor
nia has signed on to the Declaration on Zero-emission Cars and Vans, which aims to achieve 100 percent zero emission vehicle sales by 2035 in leading markets, and no later than 2040 globally. Again, Newsom already led a state initiative to do so.
On Wednesday the state also assumed leadership of the Transportation Decarbonisation Alliance, a collaboration bringing together countries, cities or regions and companies to create low carbon measurers. A Call to Action on Zero-emission Infrastructure developed in partnership with the Netherlands to support a public-private collaboration was also announced as part of the collaboration.
Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis, on behalf of the state, last week signed on to Scotland’s Edinburgh Declaration, making California the first U.S. state to join the global network of governments dedicated to tackling biodiversity loss. The Governor’s Office of Planning and Research and the Europea Knowledge and Innovation Community, EIT Climate-kic this week announced a new peer learning partnership to support California and Europe’s ambitious climate agendas, including projects to build climate resilience in the most affected and disadvantaged communities.
Also this week, the California Department of General Services pledged to convert all owned or leased fleets to zero emission vehicles as soon as possible and the California Air Resources Board, on behalf of the state, signed a climate action declaration with New Zealand and Québec. The declaration is in line with Assmbly Bill 32’s requirement California consult with other nations to facilitate the development of regional, national and international greenhouse gas reduction programs.
Ahead of the Climate Change Conference, the Governor and other partners announced its transition to become a net zero coalition to achieve net zero emissions as soon as possible. California and fellow U.S. Climate Alliance states this week also announced policies to support Paris Agreement targets.
Also at the Climate Change Conference, members of the International Alliance to Combat Ocean Acidification, which California helped launch in 2016, commended the Biden Administration’s new Ocean Policy Committee and urged bold federal climate action, including through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration joining the Alliance.