Gov. Gavin Newsom is taking his climate change advocacy to the heart of Catholicism next month, where he was invited to speak at a summit of mayors and governors hosted by Pope Francis at the Vatican.
State and local leaders will gather at the summit from May 15 to 17 to discuss the impacts of rising temperatures in their communities, with the goal of expanding the conversation from tackling climate change to including strategies adapted to the reality of a warming planet. To make it wider.
Newsom, who aides said will talk about the impact of the fires, floods and drought on California, is expected to be one of a few speakers to address the Pope and more than two dozen leaders from around the world.
“This year holds unprecedented importance for democracy and climate, two interconnected issues that will define our future,” Newsom said. “With half the world’s population ready to choose their leaders amid a backdrop of rising political extremism and global temperatures rising to worrying new heights, the stakes could not be higher. There is no greater right than moral authority – and the Pope’s leadership on the climate crisis inspires us all to move further, and faster. ,
Francis is the first Pope to make climate change a top priority of his papacy Combine scientific facts about greenhouse gas emissions with a moral call to action Thank you to the world’s 1.3 billion Catholics and world leaders for protecting the planet for future generations. Criticizing lack of immediate action, Pope calls climate deniers “fools” His first interview on American television last week,
For Newsom, a Catholic, the Vatican’s invitation provides an opportunity to show he is aligned with Francis and appeals to the 50 million Americans who follow the religion. The trip also gives the Democratic governor an international platform to emphasize the importance of the 2024 elections and the choice between President Biden and former President Trump on the climate crisis.
Biden is considered a friend of the climate movement and his Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, legislation to increase renewable energy production and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, is one of the country’s largest climate investments. The president has sought to reduce the country’s reliance on coal and gas plants, which Trump has said he would reverse.
Former Governor Jerry Brown used his visit to the Vatican in 2017 to sharply criticize Trump’s climate policies. This visit came months later Trump withdraws from Paris climate agreement,
Newsom’s climate adviser Lauren Sanchez also called elections this year in India, Mexico and other countries important for climate change efforts.
Veerbhadran Ramanathan, a professor at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego, serves in the office of Pope Francis. Council for the Pontifical Academy of Sciences And helped organize the event. He said invitations were limited to international mayors and governors, including the government. Maura Healy of Massachusetts and Kathy Hochul of New York. Ramanathan said President Biden and other world leaders have not been invited to attend, but representatives from his administration will be present.
Ramanathan said there is pressure on international heads of state to cut emissions, but adaptation starts “from the bottom up.”
“The main thing is to ask yourself, if there’s a drought, and then we have a fire in our backyard, who’s fighting it?” Ramanathan said. “Not the President of the country. These are the mayor and the governor. “We want to give them a blueprint to deal with this.”
Ramanathan said California is a leader on climate change and the council felt it was important to hear from the state at the summit.
Newsom is expected to reiterate the message that “The climate crisis is a fossil-fuel crisisAnd highlight the role of oil companies.
“We think the governor stands alone among elected officials around the world who are willing to actually say that this crisis is caused by the burning of coal and oil and gas, and we need to move away from those fossil fuels as quickly as possible. need to go.” Sanchez said.
In honor of Earth Week, Newsom last week announced a plan to convert more than half of the state’s 100 million acres of land into earth. Multi-benefit landscapes that absorb more carbon than they release, The plan is part of Newsom’s strategy to reduce emissions Reaching carbon neutrality in California by 2045, The challenge also includes other ambitious goals such as the need All new vehicles sold in California will be hybrid or electric by 2035,
Newsom’s Vatican visit is expected to be brief, with the governor arriving on Wednesday, speaking at a conference the next day and concluding his program on Friday. His delegation includes some members of his staff. California Secretary of Natural Resources Wade Crowfoot is also expected to speak.
Newsom’s trips have been criticized by his GOP critics, who argue that he should focus exclusively on California problems such as huge budget deficit of the state,
the governor went China to boost climate cooperation in October With a brief stop in Israel in the early stages of the war with Hamas. He left the state again the next month to debate Florida Governor Ron DeSantis in Georgia and campaigned in other states in support of Biden’s bid for reelection.
