As federal efforts stall, California is forging its own path—and the world is taking notes.
California is setting a high bar in the global climate fight—and what it does next could ripple across the planet. With bold targets on clean energy, transportation, forests, and equity, the Golden State is piloting strategies that many countries and cities are watching closely.
Whether it’s phasing out gasoline cars, expanding offshore wind, or protecting vulnerable communities from wildfire smoke, California is testing what works—and what doesn’t—in the real world. These aren’t just local policies—they’re experiment labs for sustainable innovation.
As cities from Europe to Asia look to reduce emissions and build resilience, California’s successes and missteps offer important lessons. Here’s how ten state-led strategies could influence international climate action—starting now.
1. California plans to phase out new gasoline cars by 2035—and the world is watching.
California has announced that it will ban sales of new gasoline‑powered cars by 2035, aiming for a fully zero‑emission fleet. That policy sends ripples through global automakers and regulators; China, Europe, and Canada are weighing similar mandates.
Electric vehicle infrastructure and charging networks will expand rapidly, while clean air gains near highways are expected. Urban planners and utilities outside California are already modeling the grid impacts. If California achieves its goals, other jurisdictions may adopt similar timetables. The policy also propels carmakers to accelerate innovation.
In effect: the state becomes a global testing ground for electric mobility policy and infrastructure. Follow‑on benefits could include cleaner air, new industries, and stronger political momentum around transport decarbonization worldwide.
2. The state’s clean electricity mandate could become a global model.
California requires 100% clean electricity by 2045, with interim targets of 60% by 2030. That means fast growth in renewables, storage, and grid‑scale flexibility. If utilities meet these goals reliably and affordably, it strengthens arguments for other regions to follow suit.
The state’s investments in offshore wind lease areas, large solar + battery assemblies, and long‑duration technology pilot programs are already drawing international interest. Exportable lessons include community solar policy, storage integration, grid planning for high renewables, and stakeholder engagement in Indigenous and disadvantaged communities.
California’s experience bridging variable solar and wind with storage may help utilities worldwide avoid common pitfalls. As more governments look to decarbonize electricity, California’s successes—or challenges—will offer valuable case studies.
3. Forest and wildfire investments show a novel strategy to build resilience.
California is charting innovative territory by combining forest restoration, prescribed fire, and carbon markets to reduce wildfire risk and store carbon. The 2022 Forest Carbon Plan channels billions toward ecosystem health, fire-prevention labor and tribal partnerships.
This integrated approach is being monitored by other wildfire-prone regions—from Mediterranean Europe to Australia. Experts praise California for linking fire resilience with carbon accounting, though note the complexities in measuring carbon credits on dynamic landscapes.
Effective community engagement and workforce development models there may prove portable. By viewing forests not just as carbon sinks but also as defense infrastructure, the state’s model could inform policies in tropical and temperate regions facing growing fire risk.
4. Water recycling and drought adaptation efforts could inspire arid regions worldwide.
Facing chronic drought, California is investing heavily in water reuse, stormwater capture and desalination pilots. Its new legislative goals call for recycling two‑and‑a‑half million acre‑feet annually by 2030. Cities like Los Angeles and San Diego, with aggressive micro‑reuse programs, are gaining international attention as climate‑stress testbeds.
Lessons from regulatory frameworks, public outreach, and funding models may be embraced by other semi‑arid regions. For example, Israel and parts of Australia already study California’s integrated strategy that blends desalination, recycled water, and groundwater recharge.
Should California hit its reuse goals affordably, other regions could accelerate similar policies—advancing resilience under climate‑driven water scarcity.
5. Cap‑and‑trade plus direct investment creates a hybrid climate finance approach.
California’s cap‑and‑trade system—paired with direct investment through its Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF)—is delivering both pricing signals and equity investments. Revenues fund public transit, affordable housing near transit, low‑income solar access and methane capture projects. Globally, few jurisdictions combine carbon pricing with targeted public reinvestment.
Other regions are watching to see if this hybrid approach avoids tradeoffs while delivering community benefits. If California’s model demonstrates both emissions drops and equitable outcomes, it could influence climate finance design in Europe, Canada, and developing nations.
The scheme addresses both pricing inefficiencies and justice concerns, providing a replicable model to marry market-based policy with social impact.
6. Environmental justice integration is setting higher standards.
California has embedded environmental justice criteria across climate programs—from grant awards to siting new clean energy projects. Communities disproportionately impacted by pollution are prioritized in funding and planning.
This model challenges more traditional policy designs that treat environmental justice as an add-on rather than a core principle. Experts like Jennifer Hernandez at UCLA have highlighted California’s community steering committees as an example for others.
If this model holds, jurisdictions globally may replicate the practice of codifying justice within policy design. That means giving frontline communities real power in climate programs and data access—not just lip service.
7. Offshore wind auctions could pioneer new markets worldwide.
California recently conducted its first offshore wind lease sale, targeting multi‑gigawatt capacity in federal waters. This marks a major new leveraged opportunity in U.S. coastal wind—but also creates rules and processes for environmental review, fisheries mitigation, and grid connection.
Other countries planning offshore wind expansion (e.g., China, Japan, U.K.) are watching permitting timelines, lease pricing and stakeholder outreach. California’s blend of floating technology pilots and community consultations, especially with coastal tribes and fishing communities, may offer replicable permitting frameworks for global offshore wind expansion.
8. Heat resilience planning offers transferable urban solutions.
As climate warms, California cities are combating rising urban heat through cool‑roof mandates, heat‑wind corridors, shade standards and micro‑climate mapping. Programs in Los Angeles and Fresno leverage tree equity, reflective paving, and targeted cooling centers in vulnerable neighborhoods.
Globally, many cities in Southern Europe, the Middle East, and Latin America seek scalable urban cooling strategies. California’s heat‑mapping tools and community-led programs are drawing webinars, technical assistance, and peer‑learning exchanges.
If they prove effective at reducing heat‑related illness and energy bills, other cities may replicate urban climate resilience planning—making California a blueprint beyond emissions alone.
9. Green building codes are pushing beyond energy efficiency to embodied carbon.
California’s new building codes not only require net-zero operational energy but also consider embodied carbon in materials—making it one of the first jurisdictions to do so. This pushes architects and developers to explore low‑carbon concrete, timber structures, and lifecycle accounting.
European and Canadian policymakers are watching closely, as are Pacific Rim cities. If this approach proves cost‑effective—and if carbon‑accounting tools become mainstream—it could accelerate global uptake of building codes that reduce emissions from both construction and operation.
10. Climate innovation funding is turning local startups into global solutions.
California’s clean-tech venture ecosystem—spanning battery innovation, carbon capture, agricultural tech, and climate modeling—is backed by state-backed grants, public-private partnerships and procurement pilots.
The result: dozens of startups scaling globally, from direct air capture to precision agriculture. Other countries are studying the state’s model of pairing innovation funding with guaranteed procurement and regulatory sandboxes.
By supporting homegrown technologies into global markets, California turns policy into product. If these companies succeed abroad, the Golden State’s ecosystem may seed global climate solutions—from food tech in developing nations to carbon removal startups in Europe.