SACRAMENTO, California — Gov. Gavin Newsom is taking California’s climate story — with its big ambitions and political risks — on the road.
The Democratic governor, Biden surrogate and potential presidential contender is pushing aggressive climate action in appearances from China to the Vatican, selling it as a winning issue beyond the borders of his deep-blue state.
His pitch: The effects of climate change are upon us and the world — including California — ignores them at their peril.
California is “meeting the moment head-on as the hots get hotter, the dries get drier, the wets get wetter, simultaneous droughts and rain bombs,” Newsom said last month in a Central Valley orchard outfitted with solar panels and batteries . “We have to address these issues with a ferocity that is required of us.”
He’s heading to the Vatican next week to meet with Pope Francis and other leaders, where he’ll highlight what’s at stake with “global temperatures hurtling towards alarming new heights.” The trip comes after a swing through China last fall, where he touted California’s sharing of climate policy and technology.