By Guest Commentary; Phil Angelides | CalMatters Link to article
As our state has suffered through a summer of record-breaking heat waves, blackouts and wildfires, Gov. Gavin Newsom has rightly pegged what’s principally behind these challenges: “If you are in denial about climate change,” he said recently, “come to California.”
In the wake of wildfires that have burned an area roughly the size of Connecticut, the governor pledged to accelerate progress toward the state’s goal of 100% clean energy by 2045.
Turning this pledge into reality will require a full-force effort. The first step may be the hardest: It will require state leaders to accept that California, for all the progress we’ve made on climate issues, has not yet done what needs to be done to prepare for the next, all-important phase of renewable energy expansion over the next 10 years.