Governor Newsom to Attend UN Climate Conference in Turkey

SACRAMENTO — California Governor Gavin Newsom plans to leave the state on Tuesday for the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Antalya, Turkey. He aims to showcase California’s climate leadership and criticize President Trump’s decision not to send a U.S. delegation.

Newsom stated, “While Donald Trump sells out America’s economic security to his fossil fuel donors, California isn’t backing down from the climate fight.” He emphasized that California’s global partnerships on climate are enduring, unlike President Trump, whom he described as “temporary.”

With the federal government’s reversal of climate progress, Newsom sees an opportunity for California governors to highlight their contrasting approaches. Former Governor Jerry Brown took a similar stance in 2017, denouncing Trump’s withdrawal from the Paris Agreement. On a trip to several international locations that year, Brown criticized global leaders’ inaction on emissions and hosted a climate summit in San Francisco in 2018.

Since taking office, Newsom has attended Climate Week events in New York and criticized Trump’s climate policies. In 2019, he expressed his embarrassment over Trump’s rollback of U.S. climate commitment, especially regarding vehicle emission standards.

This trip to Turkey follows Newsom’s previous attendance at a UN conference in Brazil, where he also positioned California as a counterbalance to Trump’s administration. As potential presidential ambitions for 2028 unfold, he will focus on reducing greenhouse gases, promoting zero-emission vehicles, and increasing clean energy use in Antalya.

In Turkey, Newsom expects to meet various world leaders and sign agreements on climate strategies. His delegation includes First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom and top climate policymakers like Wade Crowfoot, Secretary of the California Natural Resources Agency, and Lauren Sanchez, Chair of the California Air Resources Board.