Today at 10:30 AM: Governor Newsom to Announce Major Climate Initiative, Later Join Panel with Fellow U.S. Climate Alliance Governors During Climate Week 2020, and Tomorrow, Host California Climate Action Day Highlighting California's Global Leadership

SACRAMENTO – During Climate Week 2020, Governor Gavin Newsom will announce a major new initiative today to dramatically advance the state’s progress toward a low-carbon future. 

Later in the afternoon, the Governor will join a virtual panel with 10 fellow U.S. Climate Alliance governors to discuss their states’ respective commitments in support of Paris Agreement targets. 

On Thursday, Governor Newsom will host a California Climate Action Day highlighting the state’s global leadership, featuring virtual discussions with world, state, tribal and local leaders, business executives and other experts covering a wide array of climate issues.

Governor Announces Major Climate Initiative

WHEN: Wednesday, September 23, 2020 at 10:30 a.m. PDT

LIVESTREAM: California Governor Facebook, YouTube and Twitter pages. 

**NOTE: SF Chronicle reporter Dustin Gardiner will be asking reporter questions during the press conference. To submit a question, media may contact dustin.gardiner@sfchronicle.com.

TV stations may contact govpressoffice@gov.ca.gov to access a pool feed by KCRA and audio by Capital Public Radio. Photos will be available via the Associated Press wire.

U.S. Climate Alliance Governors Panel

WHEN: Wednesday, September 23, 2020 at 12:30 p.m. PDT

LIVESTREAM: The virtual event will be streamed live here. More information on the event can be found here.

California Climate Action Day  

WHEN: Thursday, September 24, 2020. Events from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. PDT  

WATCH: The discussions will be streamed on the Governor’s YouTube page here and can also be viewed by registrants here.  

With Climate Week 2020 events underway this week, Governor Gavin Newsom will host a virtual California Climate Action Day on Thursday, convening world, state, tribal and local leaders, business executives and other experts to discuss innovative solutions to a wide array of climate challenges facing the state.  

The series of virtual conversations will cover topics including building the state’s climate resilience, implementing climate policies in an equitable way, aligning financial decision-making with climate realities, and delivering climate, health and equity benefits for all our communities in the state’s recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. The day of action will kick off at 9:00 a.m. PDT with an in-depth discussion between the Governor and Van Jones on the state’s groundbreaking climate agenda. 

AGENDA: 

9:00 AM

Conversation with Governor Gavin Newsom & Van Jones

In this year alone, California and much of the West Coast have endured record-setting heat and wildfires. In this conversation between Governor Newsom and award-winning journalist Van Jones, we will hear how California can deliver on our aggressive climate change agenda and continue to be the standard-bearer for change.

9:45 AM

Charting an Equitable Path to Carbon Neutrality

California is recognized globally for its environmental leadership. Notably, we have grown our economy while reducing greenhouse gas emissions and are aggressively pursuing a 100 percent clean energy future and carbon neutrality by 2045. Under Governor Newsom, the state is making equity a key pillar of how we achieve those goals. This panel will explore how the state is making progress - highlighting important initiatives underway on our energy, transportation and building sectors - and address what challenges and opportunities lie ahead, and how to implement policy in an equitable way. The panel will also highlight carbon neutrality commitments in business and State government and will focus on equitable principles of our carbon neutral future.

PANELISTS: 

Eduardo Garcia

CA Assemblymember, 56th Assembly District

David Hochschild

Chair, California Energy Commission

Miya Yoshitani

Executive Director, Asian Pacific Environmental Network

MODERATOR:

Mary D. Nichols

Chair, California Air Resources Board

10:45 AM

From Wildfire to Water – Investing in Nature Based Solutions to Build Climate Resilience

Like so many of our global partners, California is bearing witness to the devastating impacts of climate change.

In recent weeks, wildfires of historic size, scale, and scope have swept across our state. Lives have been lost; homes and businesses have been destroyed; and nature we treasure is gone. These fires have taken place in the middle of a deadly pandemic and heatwave, and on the heels of a prolonged drought. 

As California accelerates action to build climate resilience, we are committed to joining the global call for greater attention to the benefits of nature based solutions in addressing climate change and protecting biodiversity.

This panel will showcase nature based solutions being implemented by climate leaders across the globe, and explore how they contribute to increased equity, improved public health, and expanded economic opportunity.

PANELISTS:

Henk Ovink

Special Envoy for International Water Affairs, Kingdom of the Netherlands
 
Margo Robbins
Co-Founder and Executive Director, Cultural Fire Management Council; Member of Yurok Tribe
 
Karen Shippey
Chief Director, Environmental Sustainability, Government of Western Cape, South Africa
 
Senator Henry Stern
California State Senate, 27th District

MODERATOR:

Wade Crowfoot
Secretary, California Natural Resources Agency

11:45 AM

Driving Adoption of Climate-Related Financial Risk Disclosure in the U.S.

Without a clear and transparent accounting of how public and private investments address climate risk and opportunity, the economy will never truly price these factors into decision making. In California, the catastrophic wildfires of 2017, 2018, and 2019 have put in sharp focus the social, economic, and personal loss that come from the current approach to allocating the costs of risk. But increased disclosure can lead to real market change, at meaningful scale. 

This panel will explore how, in the absence of federally mandated risk disclosure, state and sub-national governments can promote coordinated adoption of climate-related financial risk disclosure. Panelists will share insights on what represents effective climate-related financial risk disclosure, explore the pathways for disclosure available to sub-nationals and identify clear actions to align public and private action on Financial Risk Disclosure. 

PANELISTS:

Bob Litterman
Chair, Climate-Related Market Risk Subcommittee of CFTC;
Founding Partner, Kepos Capital
 
Craig Davies
Head of Climate Resilience Investments, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development
 
James Manyika
Chairman and Director, McKinsey and Company
 
Divya Mankikar
Investment Manager, CalPERS

MODERATOR:

Kate Gordon

Director, Governor’s Office of Planning and Research & Senior Policy Advisor to the Governor on Climate

12:45 PM

COVID and Climate Change: What's Next?

The COVID-19 pandemic has severely impacted communities and institutions across California. The public health and economic crises are a stark reminder of another crisis already impacting Californians: climate change. Last year, the American Lung Association declared climate change a public health emergency. This panel will explore how the state might rebuild and refashion our communities, institutions and infrastructure going forward to build a greener, healthier, more prosperous and equitable California. It will highlight efforts underway to recover from this pandemic in a way that creates jobs while delivering climate, health and equity benefits for all Californians.

PANELISTS:

Angela Glover Blackwell
Founder in Residence, PolicyLink
 
Lisa Jackson
VP of Environment, Policy and Social Initiatives, Apple
 
Michael Tubbs
Mayor, City of Stockton
 
Karen Ross
Secretary, California Department of Food & Agriculture
 
Josh Fryday
Chief Service Officer, California Volunteers

MODERATOR:

Jared Blumenfeld
Secretary, California Environmental Protection Agency