Newsom at COP30: Make Climate a "Kitchen‑Table" Issue — Voters Respond to Wallets, Not Just Warming

Belém, Brazil — California Governor Gavin Newsom told AFP at COP30 that the most effective way to make Americans care about climate change is to show how it hits their wallets. He argued that climate policy should be framed as a cost-of-living issue that affects household budgets via insurance costs, energy bills and disaster risk.

Democratic momentum, he says

Newsom said Democrats were "back on their feet" after a string of recent state and local wins, describing the party as "on our toes" and encouraged by gains at the subnational level. He pointed to victories in key state contests and local offices as signs the party’s recovery runs deeper than isolated outcomes.

"This party's back on its feet. We're on our toes. We're not on our heels," Newsom told a small group of reporters, while also expressing frustration that some Senate Democrats accepted a budget deal without winning concessions on lowering health-care costs.

California vs. Washington

At COP30 Newsom contrasted California’s proactive climate policies with the federal government’s recent actions and the Trump administration’s absence from the talks. He highlighted California’s ongoing effort to "greenify" its $4.1 trillion economy and criticized Washington for moves such as plans to restart offshore drilling off the California coast — a step Newsom said he would oppose "over our dead body," citing reporting by The New York Times.

Kitchen-table politics

Asked whether framing climate action as job creation (the approach promoted by President Biden) was the best way to reach voters, Newsom emphasized a different angle: "Well, it's a cost-of-living issue, it's a kitchen-table issue." He pointed to the growing homeowners' insurance crisis—higher premiums, canceled policies and delayed claims—and to the economic fallout from wildfires and other disasters as immediate examples that resonate with everyday voters.

He also reiterated that "green energy is cheap energy," noting that global data support the falling costs of renewables even if California’s retail electricity prices remain relatively high for other reasons. "If we start talking in those terms, I think we'll be more effective," he said.

On hosting a future COP

When asked whether a future U.S. administration might bid to host a UN climate summit, Newsom said he would welcome the idea but doubted current public support. He recalled establishing a UN Climate Day as San Francisco mayor that later evolved into a broader Climate Week, and quipped that the Trump administration "has not done a damn thing to earn" hosting privileges while noting the earliest realistic U.S. opportunity would be 2031 under the rotation schedule.

Context: Newsom, a prominent national figure and potential 2028 presidential contender, has used international forums such as COP30 to elevate California’s climate leadership and contrast state policies with federal positions. His remarks at COP — emphasizing household impacts of climate change and the economic benefits of clean energy — reflect a strategy to make climate policy politically resonant with a broader public.