The historic partnership

Established in 1948, IUCN functions as a global “nature congress” that brings together governments, conservation organizations, and Indigenous peoples with a shared goal to protect nature. With over 1,400 member states and organizations, a network of more than 17,000 scientists and experts, and a diverse portfolio of conservation projects across the globe, IUCN’s worldwide reach is unparalleled. By joining IUCN as a subnational government member, California would have the opportunity to directly shape the conversation around global environmental policy.

As a subnational government on the front lines of the climate crisis, California understands what is at stake in the fight to protect our planet. As the world’s fourth largest economy, our state continues to show that bold action on climate and biodiversity isn’t just good for nature – it helps drive economic prosperity.

Moving forward, California and IUCN would partner on shared priorities such as 30×30, the effort to conserve 30% of lands and oceans by 2030, as well as marine protected areas, nature-based solutions, and climate resilience. The new partnership would also unlock access to IUCN resources and offers opportunities for knowledge exchange with a global network of experts, directly benefiting Californians threatened by drought, wildfire, extreme heat, and other climate-driven impacts.

“We are thrilled to have California declare their intention to join IUCN as a subnational Member – the first state along with Massachusetts within the United States of America to do so,” said IUCN Director General Grethel Aguilar. “IUCN subnational Members are crucial for global conservation because they provide direct access to implement solutions on the ground, they influence national and international policy, they foster collaboration, and they offer diverse knowledge and practical experience to help all of us implement a global conservation agenda. We are certain that California will play a leadership role as an IUCN subnational Member.”

At the World Conservation Congress this weekend, the Newsom administration will accept the IUCN Green List award for California’s marine protected area network.

The Green List is a high-profile international certification that recognizes the most successful examples of biodiversity conservation worldwide. California’s system of marine protected areas, which spans the state’s 1,100-mile coastline and covers over 16% of state waters, is the first nature network in the world to receive this honor. Green Listing of the MPA network represents the culmination of a seven-year evaluation process conducted by IUCN in close collaboration with California experts; this process helped IUCN tailor its Green List standard so that it could be applied to a large-scale network, which will ultimately help advance nature networks around the world.

California’s climate leadership

Pollution is down and the economy is up. Greenhouse gas emissions in California are down 20% since 2000 – even as the state’s GDP increased 78% in that same time period all while becoming the world’s fourth largest economy.

The state also continues to set clean energy records. California was powered by two-thirds clean energy in 2023, the latest year for which data is available – the largest economy in the world to achieve this level of clean energy. The state has run on 100% clean electricity for some part of the day almost every day this year.

Since the beginning of the Newsom Administration, battery storage is up to over 15,000 megawatts – a 1,900%+ increase, and over 30,000 megawatts of new resources have been added to the electric grid.