The Trump Administration is going to spend the next four years trying to undo years of environmental progress.

They’ve already started taking the United States out of the global conversation on climate by pulling out of the Paris Climate Agreement. Our hard-fought climate policies and investments are being rolled back as Trump accelerates oil drilling. Public lands, which serve as critical carbon sinks and homes for biodiversity, are already under threat of being handed over to corporate interests. 

Now is California’s time to step up. As the fifth largest economy in the world, California is home to 12% of the United States population and generates 14% of the country’s revenue. This gives the state unique power and an outsized responsibility to continue moving climate progress forward in the absence of federal leadership. 

The California Defiance Alliance Fund is California Environmental Voters’ transformative new initiative to safeguard and advance environmental progress in the face of the Trump Administration. This initiative will support a proactive and well-resourced response on the state level to keep progress moving forward with or without the help of the federal government. We’re positioning California to act as a counterweight to the anti-environmental leadership in Washington.

Through the California Defiance Alliance Fund, we’ll mobilize resources to forge partnerships on the state, national, and international levels. We have legal, policy, and communication strategies already prepared to protect our environment and sustain the momentum for global climate action. 

If you’re interested in being part of this movement, you can donate to the California Defiance Alliance Fund here. 

Here are three things we’re prepared to get done:

1. Global Leadership 

We’re going to set California up to spearhead global climate negotiations as the climate voice for the United States. Through the California Defiance Alliance, we’ll send California to the United Nations and advocate for the international adoption of 30×30 goals, counter misinformation on climate science, and position California as a trusted leader in the fight for environmental justice. 

2. Litigation and Legislative Defense 

The California Defiance Alliance is going to work with legal entities across California to develop and execute a strategy for defense against the Trump Administration. We won’t let Trump get away with breaking or refusing to enforce environmental laws. The California Defiance Alliance is going to defend our landmark victories like the Corporate Climate Accountability Act, emissions reduction regulations, and other state bills, protecting California’s right to create and enforce our own environmental protections.

Lawsuits and education are going to be key tools to delay the harmful policies that Trump wants to put in place, and we’ll push hard to get the public support needed to galvanize change. 

3. State Action 

We’re going to propel the next wave of state-level climate action. Through the California Defiance Alliance, we’ll push the state to make polluters pay for the harm they do to communities. We’ll uplift policies that make energy and insurance more affordable, financing the transition to clean energy and resilience. And we’ll use these victories—and more—to inspire other states to follow suit and create a domino effect of climate progress nationwide.

As with all of our work, the policies we support will put our communities first, distributing climate benefits equitably and prioritizing the vulnerable and underserved that are most impacted by climate change. 

4. Dispelling Misinformation 

One of Trump’s greatest tools is misinformation, and the California Defiance Alliance Fund will become a key resource to counteract the lies being spread about climate, clean energy, and the state of California. We’re going to fight these lies every step of the way, advocating for climate action and acting as a trusted source of information. And the California Defiance Alliance will give EnviroVoters like you resources to mobilize and educate those around you as well to create a unified front against regressive policies.

It’s not going to be easy, but we’re ready to step up and fight back against Trump up to the very end of his presidency. Through the California Defiance Alliance and the support of EnviroVoters like you, we’re confident in our ability to make California a global leader for bold climate action and trailblaze the next wave of environmental progress.

Support our work with a donation to the California Defiance Alliance Fund.

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