American States, Institutions Scramble to Fill Gap Left by US Absence at COP30

Following the second withdrawal of the United States from the Paris Agreement by the Trump administration in January, COP30 has been feeling the absence of the world’s highest per-capita greenhouse gas emitter. But the US is not entirely absent from global discussions.

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While the federal government is absent from formal negotiations at this month’s COP30 climate summit in Belém, Brazil, the US is still holding bilateral discussions onsite through an independent association of federally elected officials.

The Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition (SEEC), which represents more than 180 members of the US House of Representatives, aims to deploy them in their “soft power” role to promote climate action. Although the 17 members of Congress who prepared to go to COP30 were forced to remain home to vote on the US government shutdown, Democratic Senator Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island did attend – the only US federal representative in Belém.

“The US is not a monolith,” Max Frankel, Executive Director of SEEC Institute, told Earth.Org. “We are made up of millions of people and cities and states. Is the US taking climate action? The answer to that question is a resounding yes. There is still a vibrant action from the innovation sector, from the tech sector, from cities and states.”

Meanwhile, individual US states and their leaders – most prominently California governor and likely US presidential contender Gavin Newsom – are participating at a subnational level. The governor of New Mexico, Michelle Lujan Grisham, also participated at the event. 

More on the topic: US Absence at COP30 Exacerbates Financial Challenge to Meet Climate Targets

Just as important as bringing a US voice to COP30 is the role of SEEC and the state representatives in bringing the messages about climate change back to the US.

“[The state representatives] are here to tell their story but also to learn from other organizations and other countries. They always learn great things, hear about initiatives that are happening in other parts of the world that they can also take back home to their jurisdiction and work to implement them,” said Holm.

One state committed to forging ahead on climate action is New Mexico. Andrea Desiree Romero, a member of the New Mexico House of Representatives, told Earth.Org, “States are acting independently of our federal landscape to show we’re still part of the cause. We’re committed to an energy transition where we are a net zero carbon emitter by 2045, with a 50% reduction by 2035. We’re doing a lot on the energy investment side, and we have a huge startup community in the advanced energy space. We have $1 billion in venture capital for new company investments in spaces that help us solve these problems.”

Travis Kellerman, Senior Advisor in the New Mexico Energy Department, said the state is “stepping in.”

“When we see what’s happening at the federal level, which has pulled out of their commitments and their funding, we see that the power of democracy is starting to shift to the states. This includes state policy, financing mechanisms, tax credits and incentives following the loss of the IRA [Inflation Reduction Act]. The idea that the federal government has to lead is not true – New Mexico has a small population but an out-sized impact in global energy,” Kellerman told Earth.Org.

Although the US will no longer abide by its previous formal climate plan, also known as Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), which the Biden administration submitted late last year, individual states have set NDCs.

“Definitive NDCs from the states that match the Obama-era NDC include 26 states, representing 60% of the US GDP and similar amount of emissions. That’s 50% of the US population. It’s a bright spot to be able to show and tell,” Kellerman said.

Featured image: UN Climate Change/Kiara Worth via Flickr.