Climate 411

Bonn 2025: Charting the Path to COP30 and Enhanced Climate Action

By Sarah Swain and Zach Cohen / Published: June 12, 2025

2025 June Climate Meetings. UNFCCC/ Amira Grotendiek

Next week, the international climate community will convene in Bonn for the 62nd session of the UNFCCC Subsidiary Bodies (June 16-26, 2025), or SB62. SB62 marks a critical milestone on the road to COP30 in Belém, Brazil, shaping the preparation and setting the stage for the negotiations.  

The meetings in Bonn will be guided by a central principle set by COP30 Presidency: the idea of “global mutirão,” the power of collective action to achieve goals no single actor can accomplish alone. Brazil has launched this initiative to identify common ground across regions and sectors, finding areas of convergence that can drive ambitious climate action forward. The Presidency has underscored the urgent need for this collaborative approach, particularly at SB62, to rebuild the multilateral trust strained during COP29 and by widening geopolitical rifts.  

Answering the global call for climate action, the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) is putting the spirit of “mutirão” into practice. At its core, EDF’s “mutirão” is already in our DNA. We play a unique role working with partners and allies across society – from local communities, major companies, Indigenous Peoples, governments and more – to find the shared goals that lead to groundbreaking solutions. Embracing collaboration and partnership has led us to impactful wins for planet and people: from supporting Indigenous Peoples’ participation in UN spaces to conserve forests, to gathering national oil companies together under an ambitious goal to slash methane emissions. Our commitment to this inclusive approach is essential for rebuilding the global trust needed for swift, fair, and ambitious climate action that delivers.  

Here are the thematic issues and topics EDF will be actively engaged in during SB62:

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Posted in Agriculture, Brazil, Climate Finance, Indigenous People, International, News, Oceans, Paris Agreement, United Nations / Tagged , , , , | Authors: , / Leave a comment

Cap-and-invest program continues to drive down climate pollution and raise investments in Washington state

By Caroline Jones / Published: June 11, 2025

Results were released today for Washington’s second cap-and-invest auction of the year, administered last Wednesday by the Department of Ecology (Ecology). During the auction, participating entities submitted their bids for allowances. Under the Climate Commitment Act — Washington’s landmark climate law that sets a binding, declining limit on pollution — major emitters in Washington are required to hold one allowance for every ton of greenhouse gas they emit, with the total number of allowances decreasing each year. This system requires Washington’s polluters to reduce their emissions in line with the state’s climate targets, as fewer allowances become available annually.

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Posted in Carbon Markets, Cities and states, Economics, Energy, Greenhouse Gas Emissions, News, Policy / Authors: / Leave a comment

Despite lower revenue due to program uncertainty, a stronger, long-term Cap and Trade promises to strengthen investments in California

By Caroline Jones and Katelyn Roedner Sutter / Published: May 29, 2025

Results were released today for California’s second cap-and-trade auction of the year, and the first auction since Governor Newsom proposed extending California’s cap-and-trade program through 2045 as part of his May budget proposal. As California lawmakers consider the future of the cap-and-trade program, they face a pivotal opportunity to deliver real and lasting benefits to communities across the state. At stake is not only California’s continued leadership on climate, but also the potential to unlock major economic and affordability gains for Californians.

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Posted in California, Carbon Markets, Cities and states, Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Policy / Authors: , / Comments are closed

Three signs solar radiation modification research is moving in the right direction 

By Lisa Dilling / Published: May 28, 2025

It’s been a consequential month for research on solar radiation modification (SRM). And while there has been a lot of news lately that’s concerning to those of us working in climate, it’s important to celebrate progress in fundamental areas: advancing public research and creating more global connections across the SRM research community.  

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Posted in Geoengineering, News, Science / Authors: / Comments are closed

Detroit Showcases How Clean Energy and Community Benefits Go Hand-in-Hand

By Tonya Calhoun / Published: May 27, 2025

Written Q&A with Tepfirah Rushdan, Director of the Detroit Office of Sustainability, on the city’s solar neighborhoods project.

A white man in a gray suit pointing out details on a posterboard. In the background are four more individuals.

Mayor Mike Duggan and other city officials share information about the selected solar neighborhoods with community members during a January 2025 press conference.

Detroit is modeling how to co-create clean energy solutions with communities by combining urban revitalization efforts with sustainability goals. The Motor City’s climate goals are ambitious: by 2034, Detroit aims to power 100% of its municipal buildings with clean energy and source 50% of its electricity from clean sources in the next three years. Along the way, the city is advancing a range of co-benefits, including improved public health, more energy efficiency and affordability, and quality jobs and opportunities.

As part of this strategy, Detroit‘s Office of Sustainability and Department of Neighborhoods are teaming up to implement the city’s Neighborhood Solar Initiative, which will build solar arrays on vacant land surrounded by communities that benefit from the repurposed space. Five neighborhoods were selected based on resident interest, and a total of 167 acres of land are being fitted with solar fields, raised gardening beds and other landscaping enhancements. Spearheaded by Mayor Mike Duggan and informed by input from thousands of Detroiters, the effort is one of the first steps to achieving the city’s larger climate goals. By providing clean energy and engaging residents and local nonprofits, Solar Neighborhoods will make new use of vacant areas and offer money-saving energy efficiency upgrades for surrounding homes.

A woman with light brown skin and a white shirt smiling at the camera.

Tepfirah Rushdan, Director of the Office of Sustainability since 2024.

I spoke with Tepfirah Rushdan, Detroit’s Director of Sustainability, to learn more about the city’s Solar Neighborhoods, how communities have been involved during every step of the process and her advice for other local leaders looking to build more sustainable futures for their cities. Read More »

Posted in Cities and states, Green Jobs, Health, Just Transition / Authors: / Comments are closed

As California moves closer to authorizing a West-wide electricity market, new analysis shows how the market will benefit other Western states

By Michael Colvin and Alex DeGolia / Published: May 23, 2025

This is the second in a blog series on the opportunities presented by the Pathways Initiative. Check back for additional publications in the series coming soon. 

An expanded regional electricity market is coming into focus in the West. A bill is currently moving through the California legislature that will enable the state to join a West-wide electricity market operated by a regional organization and overseen by an independent governing board — a move that will unleash California’s clean electricity potential and benefit the entire West. New analysis underscores how this market will deliver cleaner, cheaper and more reliable electricity to its participants.

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Posted in Cities and states, Greenhouse Gas Emissions, News, Policy / Authors: , / Comments are closed