US Governors Pledge Climate Action as Trump Skips COP30

At the COP30 climate summit in Belem, Brazil, California Governor Gavin Newsom and New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham reaffirmed the US commitment to combating climate change, despite President Donald Trump’s decision not to send an official delegation — the first time in US history the country has skipped the global conference. With this move, the United States joined Afghanistan, Myanmar, and San Marino as the only four members of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) not to send a delegation, out of 198 member nations.

Governors Newsom and Lujan Grisham used their appearances to signal that climate leadership in the United States is shifting from Washington to state governments. During a visit to a local bioeconomy center in Belém, Newsom said California’s progress on clean energy demonstrates the power of subnational action: “The path forward lies with states, cities, and citizens… we are proving that the transition to a clean energy economy isn’t just possible — it is already happening.”

He noted that two-thirds of California’s electricity now comes from renewable sources. Echoing Newsom’s remarks, Governor Lujan Grisham said her goal was “to show that when the federal government engages, we do more — and when it steps back, we also do more.” She added that despite New Mexico being one of the country’s top oil and gas producers, her administration has implemented programs to expand renewable energy and curb methane emissions from the fossil fuel sector. Her efforts have drawn criticism from pro-oil groups such as Power the Future, which denounced her participation in COP30 as “another international climate junket.”

Following the governors’ participation, experts emphasized that US states and cities retain significant authority over environmental and energy policy, allowing them to act independently of federal directives. “Even if national governments backslide or undermine their own commitments, subnational governments — cities, states — are truly at the forefront of implementation,” said Champa Patel, Executive Director of the international nonprofit Climate Group.

Nate Hultman, Director of the Center for Global Sustainability, University of Maryland and a former climate adviser under the Obama and Biden administrations, added that “the president cannot simply flip a switch and stop climate progress.” He noted that if leading states and cities maintain ambitious policies — and if a pro-climate administration returns to power in 2028 — US emissions could fall by 61% to 66% by midcentury compared to 2005 levels, roughly aligning with targets set under President Biden.

This dynamic underscores the growing divide between federal and state approaches to climate action. Shortly after Trump began his second term, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) moved to rescind the 2009 “Endangerment Finding,” which recognized greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions as a threat to public health. That ruling provided the foundation for the Clean Air Act, which enabled the government to regulate emissions from vehicles, engines, power plants, and oil and gas operations.

On Aug. 8, the administration also announced plans to terminate the “Solar for All” program, a US$7 billion initiative providing solar energy access to low-income households across the United States, including dedicated allocations for Native American Nations. The EPA-run program would have offered grants to support rooftop solar installations, community solar farms, and battery systems.

While Trump has focused on rolling back domestic environmental regulations, he has also used the US’ economic and geopolitical leverage to pressure other countries to scale back their own climate commitments. His administration has pledged to impose tariffs and port fees on nations seeking a global agreement to decarbonize the shipping industry, while requiring trading partners to purchase US oil and gas. In August, the United States joined Saudi Arabia and Kuwait in blocking a UN Global Plastics Treaty, which would have phased out petroleum-based plastics and introduced new extended producer responsibility (EPR) requirements. As during his first term, Trump also withdrew the United States from the Paris Agreement, the landmark 2015 UN treaty that aims to limit global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.

Although Newsom called Trump’s withdrawal from the Paris Agreement an “abomination,” Christiana Figueres, the Costa Rican diplomat who helped craft the accord, described the US absence from COP30 as “positive.” According to Rigueres, Washington’s ambivalence prevented the Trump administration from exerting “direct intimidation” during negotiations. 

Nevertheless, Trump’s decision to exit the Paris Agreement is projected to add roughly 0.1°C to global temperatures. This year, the UN admitted for the first time that the world is on track to exceed the 1.5°C threshold within the next decade unless drastic measures are taken.