The California climate emergency
We must stop drilling for oil and gas if we want to maintain a livable planet. Unfortunately, greedy oil and gas companies continue to extract every last drop, putting the planet on a dangerous course to render our beloved California unlivable.
The science is clear
As one of the world’s largest economies and a major oil and gas producer, California has an important role to play in building a future beyond fossil fuels and showing the rest of the world that a sustainable clean energy future is possible.
That’s why Greenpeace USA’s California Campaign works alongside frontline communities, local activists, like-minded organizations, and elected officials to:
- Educate and mobilize tens of thousands of Californians around the climate emergency;
- Bring attention to wildfires, droughts, heat, and other extreme weather events fueled by the climate crisis;
- Replace broken political systems that polluters exploit with people-powered democracy that works for all;
- Uplift a just transition for oil workers and communities that ensure no one is left behind on the pathway to a clean energy economy; and
- Demand politicians use their power to maintain health buffer zones between toxic drilling and where people live, work, and play as an important step on the way to a complete phase out of fossil fuel production in the state.
As a direct result of this work, California Governor Gavin Newsom has already taken some major steps to move California off fossil fuels, including:
- Ending fracking — an oil and gas extraction technique that endangered our communities, our water, and our future — throughout the state;
- Announcing that the state of California was suing the five biggest oil companies for their decades of lies and damage;
- Signing into law AB 421 to bring clearer voting language and greater transparency at the ballot box;
- Passing a price gouging penalty on oil refineries that attempt to rip off Californians at the pump;
- Signing into law SB 1137, a bill that prevents new drilling and rework permits within 3,200 feet of where people live, work, and play;
- Signing a state budget that included a $40 million fund that could be available for direct payments to fossil fuel workers for wage replacement and healthcare; and
- Announcing a goal to phase out oil production by no later than 2045, with a dramatic decline in new drilling permits issued in the last two years.
California is ground-zero for climate change and while these steps show commitment and progress, the crisis we face demands more. We must use this momentum to boldly and swiftly do what is needed to protect our planet and our future. That’s why we’re building people power in California — to: