• California governor claims Democratic president will rejoin Paris Accord
• Ethiopia endorsed to host COP32 in 2027

BELM: American state leaders, led by governors of California and New Mexico, are drawing attention on the second day of the UN climate summit in Brazilian Amazon.

California Governor Gavin Newsom, who heads the world’s fourth-largest economy, and New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham are representing state-level climate leadership amid Washington’s absence.

Newsom, known for his sharp criticism of Republican policies, told an audience at a Milken Institute event in Sao Paulo on Monday: “We are doubling down on stupid in the United States of America — not in my state of California.”

‘Paris climate accord to be rejoined’

A future Democratic president would rejoin the Paris climate accord “without hesitation,” California Governor Gavin Newsom said Tuesday, slamming President Donald Trump for pulling the United States out of the deal.

“It’s a moral commitment, it’s an economic imperative, it’s both – and it’s an abomination that he has twice, not once, pulled away from the accords,” Newsom said in response to a question by AFP.

Newsom is expected to highlight California’s environmental record, including its $4.1 trillion economy — now powered two-thirds by clean energy — and its Cap-and-Invest carbon market, which has been extended until 2045.

The California governor’s agenda in Brazil includes meetings with Helder Barbalho, governor of Pará state — where the COP30 host city Belem is located — and with New Mexico’s Grisham.

Governor Grisham, meanwhile, represents a major fossil fuel-producing state but has worked to curb methane emissions and promote renewable energy in New Mexico.

US President Donald Trump, who made fossil fuel expansion a central focus of his second term, withdrew the United States from the Paris Climate Accord upon returning to office in January.

However, experts say state governments can still follow the climate policies initiated under former president Joe Biden.

“The states have that roadmap; they can still follow it and keep to the spirit of Paris,” said Champa Patel, executive director for governments and policy at the Climate Group, which runs the global Under2 Coalition.

Still, questions linger over the limits of state-level action. Trump’s Republicans recently passed a law bringing an early end to clean energy tax credits enacted under Biden that is seen as a potentially crippling blow to the renewable sector.

Ethiopia to host 2027 summit

Meanwhile, Ethiopia is set to host the UN’s COP32 climate summit in 2027 after the Africa Group of Negotiators endorsed the move.

“The AGN has endorsed Ethiopia,” Richard Muyungi, the group’s chair told AFP. The Brazilian presidency of COP30, currently underway in Belem, confirmed the African countries’ choice.

“We welcome the announcement of COP32 in Ethiopia and look forward to elevating Africa’s climate priorities and leadership,” said Rukiya Khamis, Africa senior organiser at the nonprofit 350.org.

Published in Dawn, November 12th, 2025