By Lynn La
November 30, 2023
While Gov. Gavin Newsom is in Georgia for his debate with Gov. Ron DeSantis, lots of other California leaders are headed to the global climate summit that starts today in Dubai.
At the U.N. Climate Change Conference, or COP28, the delegation of administration officials and several state legislators is expected to tout California’s role as a “climate leader,” (similar to what the governor recently did in China), attend events and mostly talk climate shop while building relationships with officials from other countries and subnational governments.
Cynicism surrounding such international conferences is expected. Critics often argue that these events are less about changing the world and more about elbow-rubbing elites making backdoor deals — which turned out to be not not true. Holding a climate conference in the oil-rich United Arab Emirates has also left some attendees questioning how they can exactly “speak truth to power.” And a handful of Newsom’s climate policies, particularly around the state’s water usage, have disappointed environmentalists and tribal communities.
But apart from the high-level hobnobbing, COP28 can serve as a chance for California to elevate more local environmental issues on an international stage. For instance, officials will have the opportunity to collaborate with indigenous nations and, according to Newsom’s office, “reinvest in traditional knowledge to restore best practices to the lands and waters of California.”
Tribal Affairs Secretary Christina Snider-Ashtari will also be the first indigenous person to represent California’s executive branch at such a conference. During an online press briefing Tuesday, she said she was “really looking forward” to continuing conversations with international partners.
The state lawmakers going to Dubai include Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas (or “the most senior elected lawmaker representing California,” as his office reminded me via email) and Sen. Melissa Hurtado, a Democrat from Bakersfield. COP28 will be Hurtado’s second U.N. climate conference, and she is perhaps uniquely positioned to navigate this year’s conference since Kern Oil & Refining Co. is a major employer in the county she represents.
She plans to focus on food, agriculture and water, and said she finds the event useful because “very rarely do state legislators have an opportunity to hear panelists and experts from federal agencies,” and that the “thousands” of different workshops, panels and conversations enable lawmakers to improve systems and share different approaches to climate issues.
Most importantly, she argues that despite the criticism, it’s likely savvier to be part of the conversation than not.
Hurtado: “Attending the climate conference is probably something really out of touch with the dynamics of the district that I represent. But quite frankly, as I always tell my constituencies, we have to be at the dinner table, otherwise we’re for dinner.”
