Climate Solutions from Day One

PennEnvironment Research & Policy Center

New governors are getting ready to take office in 20 states, from Florida to Alaska. As America’s newly elected governors prepare to take on their states’ biggest challenges, they should prioritize taking bold action on the greatest challenge of our time: climate change.  

Governors have extensive power to reduce carbon pollution and put their states on a path to clean energy often with just a stroke of the pen. Over the last decade, governors have adopted sweeping emission reduction goals, accelerated the transition to clean energy, forged regional agreements to tackle climate change, and appointed leaders of state agencies empowered to implement policies to reduce pollution in buildings, at electric utilities, in transportation and throughout the economy.
 
States with newly elected governors are home to 150 million people and emit 2.1 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions each year – 45 percent of the United States total and more than any other country besides China and India.
 
The 12 actions highlighted in this report can be taken by many of America’s new governors right now making an immediate difference in the fight against global warming.
 
Download full report at link at the top of the page.
See the “Climate Solutions from Day One: 12 Ways Governors Can Lead on Climate Now” Fact sheet by clicking here.