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California has reduced greenhouse gas emissions 20% since 2000, while state's GDP rose 81%
By G. A. McNeeley
November 13, 2025 (Brazil) -- Heat-trapping carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere jumped by the highest amount on record last year, soaring to levels never seen in human civilization. That’s “turbocharging” the earth’s climate and causing more extreme weather, the United Nations’ weather agency said November 12, Fortune reports.
California Governor Gavin Newsom pulled no punches at this year’s United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30) in Belém, Brazil, on November 11, when he called President Donald Trump an “invasive species” and a “wrecking ball” during discussions about the United States’ absence from global climate action, according to CNN.
Newsom assured an audience at the COP30 climate summit that his state would continue to prioritize green technology, while blasting Trump's "dumb" decision to reverse the federal government's course on climate action, according to Reuters.
COP30 is scheduled to last until November 21, and you can read additional news coverage of the event on their website. You can also read additional coverage of Newsom’s trip to COP30 on his administration's website.
A Short Lesson In Climate Change
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said in its latest bulletin on greenhouse gases that CO2 growth rates have tripled since the 1960s and reached levels not seen in at least 800,000 years, Fortune reported.
Emissions from burning coal, oil, and gas, alongside more wildfires, have fanned a “vicious climate cycle,” and people and industries continue to spew heat-trapping gases while the planet’s oceans and forests lose their ability to absorb them, the WMO report said.
The Geneva-based agency said the increase in the global average concentration of carbon dioxide from 2023 to 2024 amounted to the highest annual level of any one-year span since measurements began in 1957. Growth rates of CO2 have accelerated from an annual average increase of 2.4 parts per million per year in the decade from 2011 to 2020, to 3.5 ppm from 2023 to 2024, the WMO said.
The BBC published a simple guide to explaining climate change, if you would like to learn more about the subject. They explained some of the effects of climate change, which includes more frequent and intense extreme weather, sea-levels rising, warmer oceans, and the shrinking of Arctic sea-ice.
These changes have had serious consequences for people and economies around the world, such as the Los Angeles fires of January 2025. According to some estimates, those fires could have a final cost of more than $100 billion, which is one of the most expensive weather-related disasters in U.S. history.
The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s global data for this year through June reveals that carbon dioxide rates are still rising at one of the highest rates on record, yet not quite as high as from 2023 to 2024.
Governor Newsom’s Highlights At COP30
CNN reported that Newsom, a Democrat, is the most high-profile U.S. political figure attending the talks, because The Trump Administration made the unprecedented decision to not send a high-level delegation to the annual talks.
Trump previously spent the past year tearing up climate policies, seeking to strangle clean energy projects, pushing other countries to buy U.S. oil and gas, and withdrawing the U.S. from the Paris climate agreement. During a speech at the United Nations in September, he claimed climate change was a “con job.”
CNN reported that Newsom, who has a history of sparring with Trump, appears to be using COP30 as an opportunity to set out a different vision for U.S. climate action. “I do not want the United States of America to be a footnote on climate policy,” he said.
Reuters reported that Newsom took every opportunity to slam Trump's attacks on the fast-growing clean energy economy. He said Republicans were ceding the fast-growth market to China, which "will dominate in the next great global industry."
"The United States of America is as dumb as we want to be on this topic, but the state of California is not,” Newsom added, according to Reuters. “And so we are going to assert ourselves, we're going to lean in, and we are going to compete in this space."
CNN reported that Newsom was also asked about The Trump Administration’s reported plan to open the California coast to oil and gas drilling, which The Washington Post previously reported on, based on a leaked draft map.
“It’s never going to happen. Over our dead body. Dead on arrival. Period. Full stop,” Newsom said, according to CNN. He also asked the audience to consider why Trump might be targeting California. “He has no interest in opening up oil drilling rigs right off the coast of Florida, across the street from Mar-a-Lago,” he added.
Reuters reported that Democrats have made climate change a central part of their policy priorities, but Newsom said their messaging needs to change so citizens can connect with the issue on factors like economics and cost, and also make them less vulnerable to climate skeptics like Trump. "Climate change seems abstract,” he added. “We need to talk in terms that people understand.”
One of Newsom’s press releases describes how he has helped strengthen California's list of growing international partnerships, which includes Nigeria, Brazil, Denmark, Kenya, Noord-Holland, Australia, British Columbia, China, and Mexico.
Additionally, Newsom also said he was “representing a state that’s the most un-Trump state,” according to POLITICO. “Donald Trump is temporary,” he added. “California’s commitment is strong, and we’re in this for the long haul.”
California’s Efforts To Help Fix Climate Change Show Progress
Newsom said people can see climate change unfolding before their eyes, referring to the devastating Los Angeles wildfires back in January, which scientists say were made larger and more intense by planet-warming pollution, CNN reported.
Reuters reported that although California is just one of 50 U.S. states, its economy is the world's fourth-largest, making it a key player in influencing markets and energy policy.
California is also home to some of the world's most ambitious climate change policies, including a goal to decarbonize its economy by 2045, and ban the sale of new gasoline-powered cars by 2035. Newsom said California's partnership on the issue was secure. "But we can't do that without all of you,” he added, according to Reuters. “So we're here with an
open hand, not a closed fist."
One of Newsom’s press releases says greenhouse gas emissions in California are down 21% since 2000, even as the state’s gross domestic product (GDP) increased 81% in that same time period, showing that addressing climate change can be done without impeding economic growth. In 2023, the state was powered by two-thirds clean energy, and has also run on 100% clean electricity for part of the day almost every day this year.
That same press release also says that since the beginning of The Newsom Administration, battery storage has surged to over 15,000 megawatts. That’s a 1,944%+ increase, and over 30,000 megawatts of new resources have been added to the electric grid. California also has 30% of the storage capacity estimated to be needed by 2045, to reach 100% clean electricity.
CalMatters reported that experts said California’s presence on the world stage may matter now more than ever, but the state can’t substitute for the world’s leading superpower.
Although it’s Newsom’s first time at the summit, he’s previously sent state representatives to every event since he took office.
Additional Highlights From COP30
On Monday, November 10, the first day of the event, The Green Digital Action Hub and AI Climate Institute embodied COP30’s vision for a just digital transformation, equipping developing nations with the data, tools, and training to design their own climate solutions.
At the Agricultural Innovation Showcase, new commitments were announced to advance agricultural innovation and climate-resilient food systems, including $1.45 billion from the Gates Foundation to expand access to innovations that help farmers across sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia adapt to extreme weather, and $30 million raised by the Global Methane Hub to cut methane emissions from rice cultivation.
On Tuesday, November 11, the second day of the event, The Beat the Heat Implementation Drive, co-led by the COP30 Presidency and UNEP’s Cool Coalition, moved from planning to delivery, mobilizing finance and partnerships to protect 3.5 billion people from extreme heat across 185 cities.
The Buildings Breakthrough Initiative launched standards for Near-Zero and Resilient Buildings, with endorsements from countries regarding public procurement, while the No Organic Waste Plan committed $30 million to cut 30% of methane emissions from organic waste by 2030, integrate 1 million waste workers into the circular economy, and recover 20 million tonnes of surplus food annually.
The Latin America and Caribbean Water Investment Programme, led by ECLAC and CAF, announced a $20 billion pipeline for water security by 2030. The High-Level Ministerial on Water and Climate Action, “Waters of Change,” culminated in a joint statement on Water and Climate Action, reaffirming water as a cornerstone of global adaptation and sustainable development.
On Wednesday, November 12, the third day of the event, The Indigenous Adaptation event elevated ancestral knowledge and local governance as essential tools for national and global resilience, with new commitments to finance Indigenous-led projects directly.
The UNIDO/IDDI Plan on Sustainable Public Procurement and the Asset Owners Summit emphasized the systemic changes needed to align finance, industry, and policy. These initiatives linked just transition principles with tangible mechanisms, and using trillions in public procurement and investor capital to favor low-carbon materials, fair labor, and inclusive growth.
Sources:
https://www.cnn.com/2025/11/12/climate/newsom-trump-invasive-species-cop30-brazil
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/11/11/newsom-at-un-donald-trump-is-temporary-00647261
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c9w15nggj58o
https://cop30.br/en/brazilian-presidency/calendar
https://cop30.br/en/news-about-cop30
https://cop30.br/en/news-about-cop30/cop30-evening-summary
https://cop30.br/en/news-about-cop30/cop30-evening-summary-november-11
https://cop30.br/en/news-about-cop30/cop30-evening-summary-november-12
https://www.gov.ca.gov/category/press-releases/
https://gml.noaa.gov/ccgg/trends/gl_data.html
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Trump and his MAGA minions...