California, Sweden pen letter about cooperation on climate

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (CN) — The shadow of former President Donald Trump loomed over a Tuesday ceremony for California and Sweden’s newest agreement on the climate, dogging the discussion as Governor Gavin Newsom appeared on the world stage.

California — touted as almost the world’s fourth-biggest economy — and Sweden inked a climate partnership as officials from both governments praised their mutual relationship, and trade, that brought them to the table.

“We both agree on the enormous potential that is out there between Sweden and California,” said Johan Forssell, Sweden’s minister for international development cooperation and foreign trade.

Moments later, he added, “Governor Newsom and I agree that more could, and should, be done.”

California, which has numerous agreements with over a dozen countries, last signed a letter of cooperation with Sweden in 2017. In that letter, the two governments forged climate and clean energy goals.

“So much has changed since 2017,” Newsom said at the ceremony attended by Swedish royalty.

The governor pointed to the town of Paradise, which he said was “wiped off the map” in the 2018 Camp Fire. The Dixie Fire in 2021 ravaged the town of Greenville.

A changing climate has affected the strength of fires, as well as the feast-or-famine rainfall California experiences each year.

“We have to do more,” Newsom said. “We have agency. We can shape the future.”

Forssell — getting applause for saying his country is looking forward to joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization — said he wants pro-trade agreements.

There are currently 140 Swedish companies in California, providing some 44,000 jobs. He’d like to see a green industrial revolution that brings more jobs and economic prosperity. “I think we will lay a very important foundation here today,” Forssell said.

According to Newsom, the 2017 letter of cooperation established a framework. The new letter focuses on innovation, like electric vehicles, and power sources like solar and offshore wind.

The governor praised Ronald Reagan, a former state governor and president, as well as Richard Nixon, who served as a Congress member, senator and president, for actions they took on the climate. Both were Republicans, Newsom noted.

Reagan as governor approved the creation of the state Air Resources Board. Nixon as president signed the Clean Air Act into law. “Politics has changed a little bit,” he added.

Fielding a reporter’s question, Newsom said he worried about the politization of topics like climate change and electric vehicles.

“There’s a deep naiveté, especially coming from Trump’s rhetoric about this,” Newsom said.

Moments later Newsom again invoked Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee for president this year, saying his administration attempted to roll back tail pipe regulations when he was in office. A Trump administration, Newsom said, would seek to undo California’s progress on climate-affecting policies.

Newsom said California repeatedly prevailed in the courts when its regulations were challenged. However, he was certain that attacks on efforts to fight climate change would continue.

“EVs certainly will be in the crosshairs,” the governor said of electric vehicles.

Speaking to press Tuesday Newsom dismissed the idea that his state is anything other than a success story: It’s moving to become the world’s fourth-largest economy, while also trying to tackle the issues of homelessness and mental health in Proposition 1, a March 5 statewide ballot measure that would approve a $6.4 billion bond issuance and change how mental health dollars are spent.

Newsom also sidestepped a question about running for president if President Joe Biden opted against his own campaign — a scenario that’s been bandied about on social media.

Biden was scheduled to be in California on Tuesday night and Wednesday, Newsom said. The governor added that he hopes he’ll be invited to watch Biden’s inauguration next January.