Communities Confront U.S. Governors Over Fossil Fuel Expansion and False Climate Solutions
Belém, Brazil — As Trump doubles down on fossil fuel fanaticism, state and local leaders in the U.S. have a responsibility to lead a just transition and not just rebrand the same polluting system. At COP30, New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham and California Governor Gavin Newsom took the stage at the “America Is All In” Pavilion to highlight state-level climate leadership. But their records tell another story: both have expanded fossil fuel extraction and embraced dangerous false solutions like carbon capture and hydrogen. As states with significant fossil fuel production, climate leadership from California and New Mexico is essential. Frontline activists confronted them directly in Belém, calling out hypocrisy and demanding real climate action.