MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

California Governor becomes most famous US COP30 attendee

Newsom is already hailed as a potential presidential candidate

California Governor Gavin Newsom has emerged as an unexpected focal point and “anti-Trump” figure at the COP30 climate conference in Belém, capitalizing on the absence of the self-proclaimed climate change skeptic US President Donald Trump.

While leaders from China, Saudi Arabia, Germany, and other countries attended the summit, the world's second-largest economy and second-largest CO2 emitter—the United States—has not. Under Trump, the US withdrew from the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), a move Newsom dismissed as “stupid.”

Newsom, a Democrat frequently cited as a potential future presidential candidate, is using the global stage to position himself as the antithesis to President Trump. He has been received like a superstar, drawing massive crowds of journalists, activists, and international fans seeking a “ray of hope” for US climate engagement.

During a highly attended anti-Trump speech delivered at the German Pavilion in Belém, Newsom argued that climate action and economic success were mutually achievable. “China is on its way to dominating the next great global industry,” Newsom warned. “The United States could choose to remain stupid—but California won't.”

California, the world's fourth-largest economy on its own, aims to demonstrate that climate policy is an economic driver, not a burden. Wade Crowfoot, California’s Environmental Secretary, affirmed the state's long-term commitment in an exclusive interview with ntv: “Since Ronald Reagan was governor, we have focused on climate protection. We reduced pollution and, at the same time, built our economy into the world's fourth largest. It is feasible.”

Crowfoot highlighted the economic stability provided by clean energy. “Wind and sun will never run out, and we are becoming independent of global political crises,” he said, citing targeted incentives that made technologies like solar power affordable.

Newsom and Crowfoot stressed that California is part of a progressive alliance of US states that collectively represent more than half of the US population and economy, ensuring they “remain reliable partners” in the global transformation despite the federal government's blockade. The Governor’s appearance included the signing of a partnership agreement with the German state of Baden-Württemberg, hailed by Crowfoot as a model for moving “faster and further.”

Newsom concluded that the US risks being economically left behind if it continues to disengage from global climate negotiations. By leading the expansion of renewable energies and housing numerous AI companies, California shows that climate policy is no longer just a partisan issue but a “global race for the future.”