Despite Trump’s climate change rollbacks in his first year, California communities are driving climate progress—winning in court, passing durable laws, and elevating climate justice on the global stage. Here’s what’s at stake, what’s been achieved, and how you can help.
What’s at Stake
One year ago, Donald Trump stood on the inaugural stage and promised to “drill, baby, drill”.
Over the past year, his ultra-wealthy corporate polluter friends have gotten richer—while everyday Americans suffer from higher electricity bills and worsening health impacts driven by climate change. The Trump administration is engaging in policies to weaken clean energy and public health safeguards, threatening progress on clean air, consumer energy costs, and climate resilience. These rollbacks risk higher health and disaster impacts, increased pollution burdens for frontline communities, and greater long‑term costs for regular Americans.
Why is the Trump administration so laser-focused on undoing environmental protections? Because in 2024, Trump made a promise to oil executives in a meeting at Mar-a-Lago that if they gave $1 billion to the Trump presidential campaign, he’d reverse Biden’s environmental rules and policies. And the oil industry poured at least $75 million, not counting ‘dark’ undisclosed money into Trump and affiliated campaigns to influence the 2024 election.
And Trump today has made good on his promise to the oil industry, making Americans poorer, sicker, and less safe:
- Revoking California’s Clean Car EPA Waivers, erasing an estimated $12 billion in public health benefits.
- Giveaways for polluting industries, like the recent attack on Venezuela that Trump acknowledged was fundamentally about oil and recently Trump’s Greenland push, which is rich in oil resources.
- Passing the “Big, Beautiful Bill” which included around $18 billion in new and expanded tax incentives for the oil and gas industry.
- Rescinding the EPA’s Endangerment Finding to take away the agency’s authority to regulate emissions for public health.
- Pulling America out of the Paris Agreement on climate change and undoing progress to meet greenhouse gas reduction targets.
What We’ve Achieved Together
California’s role in the face of Trump rollbacks is clear: defend clean energy, protect public health, and keep our economy competitive through innovation and resilience.
Through our Defiance Alliance Fund, California Environmental Voters has focused on tangible, durable wins that protect people and the planet:
1) Blocking Harmful Rollbacks in Court
EnviroVoters has supported several lawsuits this past year to block Trump’s worst actions. In a recent State of New York v. Trump lawsuit, California worked with other states to challenge Trump’s cancellation of clean wind energy projects—and won.
Environmental lawsuits against the Trump administration have helped stop actions before they undermine clean energy progress and public health protections. These cases safeguard momentum on wind and solar, protect communities from pollution, and create regulatory certainty for clean energy jobs and investment.
2) Passing “Trump‑Proof” Environmental Laws
In 2025, the California state government has advanced laws supported by EnviroVoters designed to preserve core environmental protections regardless of Trump’s environmental rollbacks. These laws are aimed at protecting clean air and water, accelerating clean energy deployment, and keeping climate progress on track for the long haul.
Check out our priority bills from last year to learn about the new Trump-proofing laws in California like the Safeguarding the Right to Organize (AB 288 – McKinnor) and the California Migratory Bird Protection Act (AB 454 – Kalra).
3) Advancing Climate Justice on the Global Stage
California leaders, advocates, and communities have engaged at international convenings—such as United Nations Climate Week and recent United Nations Climate Conferences (COP)—to share best practices, lift up environmental justice, and build coalitions that speed implementation, not just pledges.
The work being done to defend against Trump administration attacks is powered by environmental voters across California supporting bold climate progress to protect families from climate-driven disasters, stabilize energy costs over time, and uplift clean and renewable energy options.
Why This Matters for Californians
- Health: Stronger protections reduce asthma, heart disease risk, and other pollution‑related illnesses—especially in frontline communities. Read more about the connection between public health and pollution here.
- Affordability: Clean energy and energy efficiency can increase reliability and affordability to stop household electricity prices from going up.
- Resilience: Upgrades to the grid, buildings, and infrastructure help California prepare for extreme heat, wildfires, flooding, and drought driven by climate change.
How You Can Help — Today
- Stay informed: Subscribe to email updates from EnviroVoters to receive opportunities to take action right in your inbox.
- Vote every cycle: Support candidates and measures that protect clean air, clean energy, and community health. Read more about our election work here.
- Share facts: Follow EnviroVoters on social media to see and share posts about the environmental issues and news that matters most to you.
FAQs
What is the California Defiance Alliance Fund?
The California Defiance Alliance Fund is EnviroVoters’ dedicated initiative to safeguard and advance environmental progress in the face of the Trump administration. See our blog to learn more.
How does suing Trump protect communities and the environment?
Lawsuits against the Trump administration can block illegal rollbacks to environmental protections and keep clean‑energy projects and public‑health safeguards moving forward to protect Californians’ health, wallets, and safety.
What is climate justice?
EnviroVoters is dedicated to climate justice, which aims to ensure that the benefits of clean air, affordable energy, and climate resilience reach every community—especially those historically burdened by pollution.
Why engage internationally?
Global convenings like the UN Climate Week and COP connect California with partners to fast‑track real‑world solutions and share scalable models for cleaner air, jobs, and resilience.
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Now you can find out with our 2024 California Environmental Scorecard! Use it to see how California’s leadership scored, how many legislators take dirty oil money, and much more.
