As Trump abandons America’s allies, Governor Newsom rallies world leaders at UN climate summit, meets with Brazil’s President Lula, and signs new partnership with Portugal

What you need to know: Governor Newsom kicked off California's participation at COP31 by meeting with Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, joined Netherlands Climate Envoy Jan Versteeg for a fireside chat hosted by America Is All In, and advanced new partnerships on clean energy, wildfire resilience and climate action across Europe and Africa, including a new memorandum of understanding with Portugal. For the second year in a row, the Trump administration failed to send a delegation.

ANTALYA, TÜRKIYE - Governor Gavin Newsom brought California's climate leadership to COP31, the United Nations climate conference, sitting down with leaders from Brazil, Portugal, Ethiopia, and the Netherlands to build and reaffirm partnerships that cut pollution, accelerate clean energy, and protect communities from wildfire and extreme weather. While Donald Trump abandons America's seat at the table, California is showing up and keeping its word.

California is here at COP31, and we're putting our partnerships to work, from fighting wildfires together to building a cleaner, safer energy future. Donald Trump's empty chair won't stop us from pulling up our own and leading the climate fight.

Governor Gavin Newsom

A b-roll package of the Governor's COP31 engagements can be downloaded here.

From Belém to Antalya: deepening ties with Brazil

Governor Newsom met with Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to discuss opportunities to strengthen California's ties with Brazil's federal government.

Governor Gavin Newsom meets with Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva at COP31 in Antalya, Türkiye.

The meeting builds on the climate partnership California and Brazil signed in September 2025 to advance collaboration around carbon pricing, clean transportation and air quality, and on the cooperation the two advanced last year when Brazil hosted COP30 in Belém, where California also signed a wildfire partnership with the Brazilian state of Pará.

California and Brazil share a commitment to protecting forests, expanding clean energy and confronting the growing costs of climate change.

America is still in this fight

Governor Newsom joined Netherlands Climate Envoy Jan Versteeg on the main stage of the America Is All In Pavilion for "Local Action, Global Partnerships," a fireside chat moderated by Bloomberg TV's Jennifer Zabasajja. Governor Newsom made the case that clean energy is now an economic and strategic imperative, pointing to battery storage as the backbone of California's grid reliability and urging the United States to compete with China on electric vehicles and clean technology. He also highlighted California's extension of Cap-and-Invest through 2045, designed with affordability in mind, and the state's decade of partnership with the Netherlands on clean energy, electric vehicles, water management, and resilience.

The conversation underscored how clean energy strengthens energy security and the economy, and how states and cities keep climate cooperation alive when national politics break down.

Watch the full conversation here.

Governor Newsom co-chairs America Is All In with Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb. Its partners represent roughly two-thirds of the U.S. population and three-quarters of the U.S. economy.

First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom speaks on the "Engendering Sustainability" panel at The Climate Registry's USA Climate Pavilion at COP31.

When women thrive, communities can weather the storm

First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom joined women entrepreneurs from around the world for "Engendering Sustainability," a panel hosted by The Climate Registry at its USA Climate Pavilion, to discuss women's empowerment as a cornerstone of climate resilience and a necessary climate adaptation strategy.

The First Partner made the case that gender equality is essential to climate resilience. When women have greater economic security, they have the power to make decisions for the future of their families, their communities, and the environment.

"Women are only receiving 1.1% of venture capital dollars in the United States of America right now," said First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom. "Money and power are what is valued in our society, and money and power aren't in the hands of women."

The First Partner also emphasized that women's leadership is essential to building a more resilient future. When women have a seat at the table, in government, boardrooms and communities, they champion the inclusive policies and investments that build climate resilience. Closing the wage gap, expanding workforce participation and investing in women entrepreneurs, especially in food, land, water and technology, lifts families out of poverty, strengthens economies and helps communities withstand climate-driven instability.

"No woman can reach her full potential if her physical safety, mental health, or healthcare needs are compromised," the First Partner said. "Strengthening women, the backbone of communities, ensures they will be resilient enough to withstand climate shocks, survive disasters, and lead long-term recovery."

The First Partner also highlighted the work of California's Women's Wealth Advisory Council and the state's nation-leading Farm to School Program, which sources school meals from local, regenerative and organic farms, cutting supply chain emissions. Through the Healthy School Food Pathway apprenticeship, school food workers, a predominantly female workforce, receive paid, hands-on training in scratch cooking that creates a direct path to higher wages and financial independence.

Fighting fire, together

Governor Newsom opened the day trading wildfire lessons with leaders from around the world at Türkiye's International Forestry Training Center, during a high-level exchange among states and regions hosted by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, the Under2 Coalition, and Türkiye's General Directorate of Forestry.

Governor Gavin Newsom and First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom view firefighting equipment alongside trainee firefighters at Türkiye's International Forestry Training Centre

The center trains firefighters and forestry professionals from across the region, using an advanced simulator that lets incident commanders battle virtual fires across shifting weather, terrain, and vegetation. California, which co-founded the Under2 Coalition in 2015, shared what it has learned from investing in forest health, prescribed fire, and cutting-edge firefighting technology, and heard lessons from Türkiye and other partners facing the same growing threat.

Governor Gavin Newsom, First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom, California Air Resources Board Chair Lauren Sanchez and California Natural Resources Agency Secretary Wade Crowfoot join Portugal's Secretary of State for Environment, João Manuel Esteves, and Portuguese government officials after signing a new memorandum of understanding between California and Portugal at COP31 in Antalya, Türkiye.

Partnering with Portugal on wildfire and clean energy

California and Portugal are partnering to share best practices, accelerate the transition to clean, renewable, carbon-free energy, and strengthen wildfire prevention, response and recovery. Governor Newsom met with Portugal's Secretary of State for Environment, João Manuel Esteves, to finalize a new Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), signed by California Natural Resources Agency Secretary Wade Crowfoot.

Governor Gavin Newsom, First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom, California Natural Resources Agency Secretary Wade Crowfoot, and California Air Resources Board Chair Lauren Sanchez join officials from Portugal after signing a new memorandum of understanding between California and Portugal at COP31 in Antalya, Türkiye.

The MOU deepens cooperation on clean energy, climate resilience and economic development, including offshore wind, battery storage and recycling, zero-emission transportation and port decarbonization. It builds on a 2022 wildfire partnership between CAL FIRE and Portugal's Agency for Integrated Rural Fire Management, with new opportunities for joint training, forest management, satellite-based fire monitoring and emergency preparedness. Like California, Portugal has a Mediterranean climate and faces growing risks from wildfire, drought, and extreme heat.

Governor Gavin Newsom meets with Ethiopia's Minister of Foreign Affairs and COP32 President-designate, Dr. Gedion Timothewos, at COP31.

Laying the groundwork for COP32 in Africa

Governor Newsom congratulated Ethiopia's Minister of Foreign Affairs and COP32 President-designate, Dr. Gedion Timothewos, on hosting next year's conference in Addis Ababa, the first COP in sub-Saharan Africa since 2011. They discussed his priorities for the summit and Ethiopia's remarkably quick adoption of electric vehicles, as well as California's work to expand battery storage and EV charging.

In 2024, Ethiopia became the first African country to prohibit imports of gasoline and diesel vehicles. EVs now make up about 8% of its vehicle fleet, and more than 95% of its electricity comes from renewable sources, mainly hydropower. Like California, Ethiopia faces severe climate-driven weather, including an El Niño-linked drought affecting about 3.5 million people, and is advancing reforestation through its Green Legacy Initiative.

States and cities showed up

Governor Newsom closed the day at the invitation of UN Secretary-General António Guterres, joining governors and mayors from around the world, including Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and London Mayor Sadiq Khan, to elevate the role of states and cities in global climate action.

Governor Newsom thanked the Secretary-General for his longstanding commitment to climate action and for creating forums where states and cities can share what works. Calling this an era of implementation, he pointed to California's Cap-and-Invest program as an example of what states can deliver and said the work of turning commitments into results is now underway.

California at COP31

COP31 is the 31st Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, an annual global climate conference that brings together world leaders, scientists, businesses, non-governmental organizations, and civil society to advance action on climate change. Held in Antalya, Türkiye, from November 9-20, 2026, the conference is hosted by Türkiye, with Australia leading the negotiations. This year's focus is on implementation: turning climate commitments into concrete, measurable results.

As a founding member of the Under2 Coalition and the U.S. Climate Alliance and as co-chair of America Is All In, California is demonstrating how states and regions can sustain international cooperation, accelerate clean energy, and deliver climate solutions that lower costs, create jobs, and strengthen resilience, even as the federal government retreats.

California's delegation includes Governor Gavin Newsom; First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom; California Natural Resources Agency Secretary Wade Crowfoot; California Department of Food and Agriculture Secretary Karen Ross; California Public Utilities Commission President John Reynolds; California Air Resources Board Chair Lauren Sanchez; and Governor's Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation Director Samuel Assefa.

California's climate leadership

Since Governor Newsom took office in 2019, California has added more than 39,000 megawatts of utility-scale clean energy to serve the California grid. That's helped make the grid more reliable and pushed the state further along its path in the clean energy transition.

The most recent numbers, from the end of 2024, show real progress: 67% of retail electricity sales in the state already come from clean energy. Last year, clean energy met 100% of the state's electricity needs for at least part of the day on 279 separate days.

Solar and battery storage have been a key part of that progress, and are changing how California keeps the lights on. Since 2019, battery resources serving California grew from fewer than 700 megawatts to more than 23,000 megawatts - an increase of more than 3,100%. Batteries store solar power when it is abundant and deliver it after sunset. That reduces how often the state needs to run natural gas plants, which cuts air pollution and supports a more cost-effective electricity system.

California's approach is also where the money is heading. Global investors are now putting roughly two dollars into clean-energy technology for every dollar that goes into fossil fuels. California is leading that shift while Donald Trump watches from the sidelines.

For California, that means investing in the good-paying jobs of the future. The Golden State is the 4th-largest economy in the world and leads the nation in total clean energy jobs, with 552,300 workers employed across clean energy technologies, nearly twice as many as the second-ranked state, Texas, according to a 2025 report from E2. California's clean energy workforce grew by nearly 7,300 workers in 2024, outpacing job growth in the rest of the state's economy by more than three times.

California's global climate network

California has long been a key player on the international stage, from taking joint action on climate change to identifying new pathways and partnerships for sustained economic growth. During the Newsom administration alone, California has formed over 70 international partnerships that lay critical groundwork for our continued economic success, while prioritizing workers and businesses that benefit from these new opportunities.

Golden State and global partnerships

• United Kingdom (2026): California and the United Kingdom signed a memorandum of understanding to tackle climate change and promote sustainable development together. The memorandum of understanding builds on an already strong history of cooperation, and focuses on areas for collaboration including clean energy technologies, climate resilience, decarbonizing transportation, and protecting the natural environment.

• Chile (2025): California and Chile signed a memorandum of understanding regarding exchanging information, developing best practices, and cooperating on methane emissions reduction. Methane is a highly potent greenhouse gas, and the partnership between California and Chile opens up new opportunities for both partners to cooperate on methane reduction in waste, agriculture, and energy sectors.

• Colombia (2025): California and Colombia signed a partnership to advance joint efforts on forest conservation, methane reduction, climate resilience, and clean energy development. The memorandum of understanding deepens coordination on protecting the Amazon, strengthening biodiversity, and expanding nature-based climate solutions that support sustainable and equitable economic growth.

• Nigeria (2025): California signed a memorandum of understanding with Nigeria on sustainable urban transportation, green ports, low-carbon transportation fuels, climate adaptation, methane detection and abatement policies, greenhouse gas emissions and air quality, and academic exchange and university partnerships. The partnership will build upon our shared commitment to sustainable growth, accelerate the transition to zero-emission transportation, and expand opportunities for the next generation.

• Brazil (2025): California signed a memorandum of understanding with the Brazilian federal government to scale up cooperation on climate, clean energy, cutting pollution, and job-creating climate opportunities. This new partnership, announced in September 2025, will advance market-based carbon pricing programs, expand clean transportation, including zero-emission vehicles and low-carbon fuels, and strengthen air quality management through enhanced monitoring and regulatory controls. The partnership also focuses on conserving 30% of lands and coastal waters by 2030, including nature-based solutions and biodiversity protection. In 2025, California also advanced a partnership with the State of Pará to strengthen cooperation on wildfire prevention and response - enhancing forest monitoring, identifying areas most at risk, and sharing research and expertise to improve firefighting and emergency management.

• Kenya (2025): California signed a partnership focused on cutting pollution and supporting trade. The partnership advances medium- and long-term low-carbon development, policy research, development, and innovation in sustainable land use and urban planning that reduces long commutes and urban sprawl, while promoting integrated land use and transport systems.

• Noord-Holland (2024): California and Noord-Holland signed a Letter of Intent advancing next-generation air mobility - from drones to zero-emission aircraft. Joint innovation missions are producing pilot projects that inform California's Advanced Air Mobility Implementation Plan and readiness for major global events.

• Australia (2023): California signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Australia that helped inform the country's first-ever vehicle carbon emissions standards through input from the California Air Resources Board. The California Public Utilities Commission and California ISO have also advised Australia on electricity market reform to better align incentives for renewable energy.

• British Columbia (2023): California and British Columbia signed a memorandum of understanding on mutual wildfire assistance that is delivering results. British Columbia sent incident management experts to support California's Palisades Fire in 2025, while CAL FIRE deployed personnel during British Columbia's 2025 fire season. These exchanges established a lasting framework for cross-border wildfire support.

• China (2023): California signed five Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) with China's National Development and Reform Commission, the provinces of Guangdong and Jiangsu, and the municipalities of Beijing and Shanghai to advance cooperation in cutting greenhouse gas emissions, transitioning away from fossil fuels, and developing clean energy.

• Denmark (2021): California and Denmark signed a memorandum of understanding to collaborate on groundwater mapping, leak detection, and water efficiency, which has modernized California's data systems and informed key state programs, like the Airborne Electromagnetic Survey. Danish technologies and expertise have helped strengthen drought and water-supply resilience statewide.

• Mexico (Baja California & Sonora): California signed Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) with the Mexican states of Baja California and Sonora to advance zero-emission freight corridors, clean ports, and battery manufacturing - strengthening North American supply chains and workforce readiness. Joint forums have already produced new research collaborations and training programs advancing clean-tech.