California delegates visit the Netherlands to strengthen global climate partnerships, advance climate action

What you need to know: A recent climate- and innovation-focused visit to the Netherlands by a California delegation comes on the heels of Gov. Gavin Newsom signing a memorandum of understanding between California and Denmark supporting cooperation on green economy resilience, technology and innovation, and a trip by California leaders to Africa to forge climate and trade partnerships.

SACRAMENTO - As California works to build resilience amid climate change impacts, the state is deepening its global partnerships to explore innovative solutions.

Over the past few weeks, California Governor's Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation (LCI) Director Samuel Assefa joined a California delegation that included representatives from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the City of Sacramento, the Blue Lake Rancheria, and other regional partners on a 10-day Climate and Mobility Innovation Mission to the Netherlands.

Hosted by the King's Commissioner of the Netherlands, Arthur van Dijk, the visit offered a chance for Dutch and California leaders to share innovations in autonomous air mobility, next-generation clean transportation infrastructure, and sustainable large-scale event planning as the state prepares to host major sporting events in the upcoming years.

"By combining California's climate leadership with the innovation of our global partners, we can accelerate solutions for wildfire response, mobility and sustainable economic growth," Director Assefa said. "These international partnerships deepen our ability to manage climate-driven disasters and rethink mobility in ways that benefit both people and the planet. The lessons we bring home from our partners abroad strengthen our leadership and our capacity to deliver solutions at a scale the climate crisis demands."

Organized in partnership with the Province of Noord-Holland, the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management, the European Commission and the Consulate General of the Netherlands in San Francisco, the mission brought together public agencies, researchers and industry leaders from both regions. The trip was fully funded by the Bay Area Council and Bay Area LEEDS (Linking Education and Economic Development Strategies), building on a three-year Letter of Intent on Advanced Air Mobility signed by LCI, the California State Transportation Agency and Noord-Holland in March 2024, along with a 2022 Memorandum of Understanding between California and the Netherlands on climate change planning and action.

Delegates participated in roundtables, workshops and site visits at the European Union, national and provincial levels, exchanging strategies to build climate-resilient transportation networks; advance zero-emission mobility hubs; integrate circular economy practices into urban planning; and strengthen disaster preparedness and response.

"From the Netherlands to California and beyond, climate change impacts us all," said Noord-Holland's King's Commissioner van Dijk. "This Coast to Coast exchange, based on collaboration, trust and partnership, allows us to learn proven strategies and bold new ideas from each other that can strengthen local communities, protect lives and build global climate resilience. Specifically, I am very pleased that the success of our collaboration is recognized by five nongovernmental organizations from the Netherlands and California who signed, during the mission, an agreement to realize tangible results on Smart Mobility and Air Mobility in the next three years."

Throughout the mission, the California delegation gained firsthand insights into how the Netherlands is transforming its transportation and event systems to be cleaner, safer, and more sustainable, while sharing California's innovation at home.

In Amsterdam and Rotterdam, delegates observed how autonomous aircraft and advanced drone systems are being tested to strengthen disaster response. Since they are equipped with thermal imaging and rapid-deployment capabilities, these technologies can track wildfire spread in real time, deliver supplies to remote areas, and even deploy fire retardants without putting pilots at risk.

California delegates also presented innovations in air mobility and autonomous vehicles, showcasing how projects are advancing resilience and mobility while creating jobs in electric-aircraft maintenance and airspace, ground and field operations. Like the Netherlands, California has been ramping up its firefighting capabilities and prevention efforts to adapt to new climate realities. And last Friday, Aug. 29, California Jobs First announced nearly $17 million out of a total of $80 million was awarded to a coalition led by REACH Central Coast for aerospace and defense projects, including about $7.5 million for the Monterey Bay Economic Partnership (MBEP) to develop a regional Advanced Air Mobility corridor between four public airports. Monterey Bay Drone, Automation, and Robotics Technology (DART) was among the participants in the Netherlands trip and is part of the MBEP team that applied for the grant.

The delegation also examined the Netherlands' leadership in sustainable large-scale event planning. Amsterdam requires organizers of events with more than 2,000 attendees to submit sustainability plans detailing energy use, waste reduction and low-emission transportation strategies. These insights are especially relevant as California prepares to host some of the world's largest sporting and cultural gatherings in the coming years, including the Super Bowl, the FIFA World Cup, and the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games - all of which will place heightened demands on energy and transportation systems.

The Newsom administration has partnered with jurisdictions in 27 countries, touching more than a quarter of the world's population and a combined GDP in the tens of trillions of dollars.

As more communities worldwide face the impacts of climate change, working across nations and continents to build resilience and adaptation is more important than ever.

Media Contact

Kalin Kipling-Mojaddedi