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Climate-sceptic IPA refuses to reveal funders in fiery Senate inquiry

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Wednesday, November 12, 2025

A thinktank known for its rejection of the climate crisis and a conservation group that has opposed renewable energy projects refused to identify their funders during a fiery Senate inquiry into climate and energy misinformation on Wednesday.Chair of the committee, Greens senator Peter Whish-Wilson, asked Rainforest Reserves Australia’s vice-president, Steven Nowakowski, who had funded nine full-page newspaper advertisements promoting an open letter attacking a shift to renewable energy and promoting nuclear.Nowakowski said they were paid for by donations, some coming from the signatories of the letter, but would not name them.Sign up: AU Breaking News emailRRA was also asked who had paid for legal action it took this year to challenge a federal approval of the Gawara Baya windfarm in north Queensland.Michael Seebeck, a member of RRA, said the legal proceedings were covered by “an anonymous private individual” but Nowakowski added that person was not linked to fossil fuel interests or nuclear.The charity has become a prominent voice among conservatives and some media for its opposition to renewable energy, with claims including that large numbers of wind and solar projects are destroying habitat.RRA also defended its use of AI to generate more than 100 submissions on renewable energy and projects after the Guardian reported citations to nonexistent scientific articles, a nonexistent windfarm and nonexistent public authorities.Referring to a submission about the proposed Moonlight Range Wind Farm which was later refused by the Queensland government, Labor senator Michelle Ananda-Rajah said: “Seven of the 15 references you cite in opposition to this windfarm appear to be completely fabricated.”One of those references was a 2018 report on contamination at the Oakey Windfarm published by the Environmental Protection Agency in 2018. There is no windfarm in Oakey and Queensland has not had an EPA since 2009.Nowakowski said: “This is just a distraction …” but was closed down by Ananda-Rajah.“No,” she said. “It speaks to the credibility of your organisation.”Ken Carey, a resident from Ravenshoe in north Queensland appearing as a community supporter for RRA, said the department had changed its name and “the data itself is absolutely accurate”.“The Oakey windfarm is a complete fabrication,” said Anand-Rajah, “and seven out of 15 references don’t actually exist.”Nowakowski said the submission was written by a human, but was edited by AI. RRA has previously told the Guardian it had used “a range of analytical tools including AI-assisted literature searches, data synthesis, and document preparation,” to compile its submissions.During unrelated court proceedings in 2018, it was revealed billionaire mining magnate Gina Rinehart had given $4.5m to the Institute of Public Affairs in 2016 and 2017 – donations that constituted between one-third and one-half of the institute’s income in those two years.During Wednesday’s hearing Whish-Wilson asked the IPA’s executive director, Scott Hargreaves, if Rinehart remained a donor.skip past newsletter promotionSign up to Breaking News AustraliaGet the most important news as it breaksPrivacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. If you do not have an account, we will create a guest account for you on theguardian.com to send you this newsletter. You can complete full registration at any time. For more information about how we use your data see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.after newsletter promotion“We don’t disclose our donors,” said Hargreaves.“I’m aware of the press clippings that you mentioned that arose out of a separate thing, but as a matter of policy we are not required by law to disclose our donors and we believe there are good public policy reasons for that.“I won’t entertain any questions about who is currently donating to the IPA. I will say that it is a matter of public record that [Rinehart] is an honorary life member of the IPA and is a generous contributor to many causes.”The IPA said it had visited 62 communities in Australia as part of its work to advocate against the rollout of renewable energy to help meet climate targets.The thinktank is known for its rejection of a climate crisis, its opposition to renewable energy and, most recently, its support for nuclear power.Hargreaves was also asked about an independent media report into a 2023 Canberra event hosted by the IPA when institute fellow Stephen Wilson had said its energy security research had been “supported and encouraged” by a group of donors that had been brought together by a coal industry figure, Nick Jorss.Jorss founded the advocacy group, Coal Australia, the following year.Hargreaves responded: “It’s an example of where someone, in this case Nick Jorss, is saying ‘the IPA is doing great work, you should get around it’.”Hargreaves said the work done by Wilson “speaks for itself”.The ongoing inquiry was called by the Greens and is expected to report in March next year.

Australia’s richest person, Gina Rinehart has previously donated to Institute of Public Affairs but thinktank won’t say if she remains a donorGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA thinktank known for its rejection of the climate crisis and a conservation group that has opposed renewable energy projects refused to identify their funders during a fiery Senate inquiry into climate and energy misinformation on Wednesday.Chair of the committee, Greens senator Peter Whish-Wilson, asked Rainforest Reserves Australia’s vice-president, Steven Nowakowski, who had funded nine full-page newspaper advertisements promoting an open letter attacking a shift to renewable energy and promoting nuclear. Continue reading...

Chair of the committee, Greens senator Peter Whish-Wilson, asked Rainforest Reserves Australia’s vice-president, Steven Nowakowski, who had funded nine full-page newspaper advertisements promoting an open letter attacking a shift to renewable energy and promoting nuclear.

Nowakowski said they were paid for by donations, some coming from the signatories of the letter, but would not name them.

_{Sign up: AU Breaking News email}

RRA was also asked who had paid for legal action it took this year to challenge a federal approval of the Gawara Baya windfarm in north Queensland.

Michael Seebeck, a member of RRA, said the legal proceedings were covered by “an anonymous private individual” but Nowakowski added that person was not linked to fossil fuel interests or nuclear.

The charity has become a prominent voice among conservatives and some media for its opposition to renewable energy, with claims including that large numbers of wind and solar projects are destroying habitat.

RRA also defended its use of AI to generate more than 100 submissions on renewable energy and projects after the Guardian reported citations to nonexistent scientific articles, a nonexistent windfarm and nonexistent public authorities.

Referring to a submission about the proposed Moonlight Range Wind Farm which was later refused by the Queensland government, Labor senator Michelle Ananda-Rajah said: “Seven of the 15 references you cite in opposition to this windfarm appear to be completely fabricated.”

One of those references was a 2018 report on contamination at the Oakey Windfarm published by the Environmental Protection Agency in 2018. There is no windfarm in Oakey and Queensland has not had an EPA since 2009.

Nowakowski said: “This is just a distraction …” but was closed down by Ananda-Rajah.

“No,” she said. “It speaks to the credibility of your organisation.”

Ken Carey, a resident from Ravenshoe in north Queensland appearing as a community supporter for RRA, said the department had changed its name and “the data itself is absolutely accurate”.

“The Oakey windfarm is a complete fabrication,” said Anand-Rajah, “and seven out of 15 references don’t actually exist.”

Nowakowski said the submission was written by a human, but was edited by AI. RRA has previously told the Guardian it had used “a range of analytical tools including AI-assisted literature searches, data synthesis, and document preparation,” to compile its submissions.

During unrelated court proceedings in 2018, it was revealed billionaire mining magnate Gina Rinehart had given $4.5m to the Institute of Public Affairs in 2016 and 2017 – donations that constituted between one-third and one-half of the institute’s income in those two years.

During Wednesday’s hearing Whish-Wilson asked the IPA’s executive director, Scott Hargreaves, if Rinehart remained a donor.

skip past newsletter promotion

after newsletter promotion

“We don’t disclose our donors,” said Hargreaves.

“I’m aware of the press clippings that you mentioned that arose out of a separate thing, but as a matter of policy we are not required by law to disclose our donors and we believe there are good public policy reasons for that.

“I won’t entertain any questions about who is currently donating to the IPA. I will say that it is a matter of public record that [Rinehart] is an honorary life member of the IPA and is a generous contributor to many causes.”

The IPA said it had visited 62 communities in Australia as part of its work to advocate against the rollout of renewable energy to help meet climate targets.

The thinktank is known for its rejection of a climate crisis, its opposition to renewable energy and, most recently, its support for nuclear power.

Hargreaves was also asked about an independent media report into a 2023 Canberra event hosted by the IPA when institute fellow Stephen Wilson had said its energy security research had been “supported and encouraged” by a group of donors that had been brought together by a coal industry figure, Nick Jorss.

Jorss founded the advocacy group, Coal Australia, the following year.

Hargreaves responded: “It’s an example of where someone, in this case Nick Jorss, is saying ‘the IPA is doing great work, you should get around it’.”

Hargreaves said the work done by Wilson “speaks for itself”.

The ongoing inquiry was called by the Greens and is expected to report in March next year.

Read the full story here.

Photos courtesy of

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Protesters break into COP30 venue in Brazil

More than 200 delegations, including senior world leaders, are attending the UN climate talks.

Protesters break into COP30 venue in BrazilGeorgina Rannard,Climate reporter, Belém, Brazil and Tabby WilsonWatch: Protesters clash with security at COP30 venue in BrazilProtesters carrying signs reading "our forests are not for sale" broke through security lines of the COP30 climate talks on Tuesday night in Belém, Brazil.BBC journalists saw United Nations security staff running behind a line of Brazilian soldiers shouting at delegates to immediately leave the venue.The UN told BBC News that the incident caused minor injuries to two security staff, in addition to limited damage to the venue.Social media videos showed protesters that appeared to be from indigenous groups and others waving flags with the logo of a left-wing Brazilian youth movement called Juntos.Protesters, some wearing what appeared to be traditional indigenous dress, stormed the COP30 entrance, chanting and kicking down doors, before tussling with security personnel, videos posted online showed. Demonstrators crossed the first security barriers of the venue and were then prevented from getting further in, the UN told the BBC. A security guard said he was hit in the head by a drum thrown by a protester, according to the Reuters news agency.It is a highly unusual security breach at a conference that has strict protocols.Brazilian and UN authorities are investigating the incident, according to the UN.ReutersDelegates from almost 200 countries are attending COP30 talks, which officially runs from Monday 10 November to Friday 21 November.This year's gathering takes place ten years after the Paris climate agreement, in which countries pledged to try to restrict the rise in global temperatures to 1.5C.It is the first time the conference is being held in Brazil, with the talks taking place in Belém on the edge of the Amazon rainforest. The location has proved a controversial decision for a number of reasons, in part due to the Amazon's residents, many of whom are vocal critics of the environmental damage caused to their home by climate change and deforestation.Brazil has also continued to grant new licences for oil and gas which, alongside coal, are fossil fuels, the main cause of global warming.An indigenous leader from the Tupinamba community told Reuters, "we can't eat money," and that they were upset about development in the rainforest."We want our lands free from agribusiness, oil exploration, illegal miners and illegal loggers," he said.The meetings this year have been dubbed "the Indigenous peoples COP", with Brazilian organisers promising to put indigenous people at the centre of the talks. Brazil's Minister of Indigenous Peoples Sonia Guajajara hailed COP30 as "historic" event, and estimated that 3,000 Indigenous peoples from around the world would be in attendance.A UN report released earlier this year said that Indigenous people safeguard 80% of the planet's remaining biodiversity – yet receive less than one per cent of international climate funding.Indigenous peoples are disproportionately impacted by climate change due to their dependence on the natural environment and its resources.Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva told the opening of the summit that the world must "defeat" climate denialism and fight fake news.He said that the decision to hold COP30 in Belém was designed to show that the Amazon is an essential part of the climate solution, adding that "COP30 will be the COP of truth" in an era of "misrepresentation" and "rejection of scientific evidence".According to the president, the "most diverse biome on Earth" is home to nearly 50 million people, including 400 Indigenous groups.

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Costa Rica’s Envision Festival Sets 2026 Dates with Smaller Size and Eco Focus

Organizers of the Envision Festival have revealed plans for the 2026 event, set for February 23 to March 2 in Uvita. The gathering will feature a reduced capacity to foster a more personal atmosphere, along with fresh efforts to boost sustainability and attendee comfort. The festival, known for blending music, art, wellness, and environmental action, aims to reconnect with its original spirit under the theme “Back to our Roots.” This shift comes after feedback from past participants, who called for improvements in site management and community ties. Capacity cuts will limit the number of attendees, creating space for deeper connections among festival-goers. “We want to maintain that intimate feel,” said a statement from the organizers, emphasizing the move as a way to enhance the overall experience without overwhelming the venue. Sustainability stands at the center of the updates. The event will partner more closely with the Somos El Cambio Foundation to plant trees and support long-term projects in the local area. On-site, attendees can expect more water filling stations, expanded storage for water supplies, and separate areas for handwashing. Compostable items like cups, plates, and utensils will replace single-use plastics, while water conservation rules guide daily operations. Health and hygiene also get a boost. Free daily showers will be available, backed by upgraded plumbing systems. Additional sanitation stations will dot the grounds, and staff will undergo thorough training to handle safety concerns. Organizers have strengthened links with local authorities to ensure smooth coordination. Camping zones will see expansions, with added shaded lounges for rest. Better signage and lighting will help people navigate the jungle setting safely. For those seeking extras, new premium options include private bars, air-conditioned restrooms, exclusive stage views, Wi-Fi spots, charging areas, and lockers. Communication improvements address past issues. The team promises quicker responses to emails and real-time updates during the festival. New guides will prepare first-timers for the tropical climate, and health tips will promote well-being for everyone. Tickets fall into general admission and VIP categories, granting entry to main zones. Separate passes cover accommodations. A waitlist offers early access, with loyalty perks for repeat visitors. This edition marks a step toward measuring and reporting environmental impacts, allowing the festival to track progress. Local hiring will increase, deepening community involvement. Envision has long drawn people to Costa Rica for its mix of performances and workshops. The 2026 changes reflect a commitment to growth while honoring the land and people of Uvita. The post Costa Rica’s Envision Festival Sets 2026 Dates with Smaller Size and Eco Focus appeared first on The Tico Times | Costa Rica News | Travel | Real Estate.

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Indigenous Groups Get the Spotlight at UN Climate Talks, but Some Say Visibility Isn't Power

This year's United Nations climate talks in Brazil are putting a special focus on Indigenous peoples

BELEM, Brazil (AP) — Indigenous people are used to adapting, so when the power failed at their kickoff event at this year's United Nations climate talks, they rolled with it. Participants from around the world sweated through song, dance and prayers, improvising without microphones and cooling themselves with fans made of paper or leaves.But the ill-timed blackout fed an undercurrent of skepticism that this year's summit — dubbed “the Indigenous peoples COP” — will deliver on organizers' promise to put them front and center at the event on the edge of the Amazon rainforest where many Indigenous groups live.“We’re working within a mechanism and we’re working within an institution that we know wasn’t built for us,” said Thalia Yarina Cachimuel, a Kichwa-Otavalo member of A Wisdom Keepers Delegation, a global group of Indigenous people from around the world. ”We have to work 10 times harder to ensure that our voices are a part of the space.”This year’s climate talks, which run through Nov. 21, aren't expected to produce an ambitious new deal. Instead, organizers and analysts frame this year’s conference as the “implementation COP," aimed at executing on past promises. A conference that's not easy to attend The climate talks — known as Conference of the Parties, or COP30 for this year's edition — have long left Indigenous people out or relegated them to the sidelines.Many aren’t represented robustly in the governments that often violently colonized their people. Others encounter language barriers or travel difficulties that keep them from reaching conferences like COP30.The Brazilian government said hosting this year’s summit in Belem was partly an homage to the Indigenous groups skilled at living sustainably in the Earth’s wild spaces.But Indigenous groups, as with other activists, aren’t traditionally included in climate negotiations unless individual members are part of a country’s delegation. Brazil has included them and urges other nations to do the same. 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The hottest ticket in Brazil just might be a meeting with Gavin Newsom

The California governor drew crowds at an economic summit ahead of this week's UN climate talks.

SÃO PAULO — California Gov. Gavin Newsom isn't even at the United Nations climate talks yet — but he's already getting bombarded with meeting requests.Newsom kicked off his trip to Brazil 1,800 miles south of the Amazonian city of Belém that’s hosting this year’s international gathering, talking to Brazilian and American financiers at an investors' summit in São Paulo.His first question from the Brazilian press on Monday, fresh off last week's redistricting victory: whether he would run for president ("Nothing else matters but 2026 and taking back the House of Representatives," he said). Newsom couldn’t walk halfway down a hallway without fielding a meeting request from CEOs and NGOs — or a selfie request. One Brazilian picture-taker had him repeat the Portuguese word for "Let’s go": "Vamos."His remarks to investors at the Milken Global Investors' Symposium sounded more like a campaign rally than a business speech."We have seen this complete reversal of so much of the progress that the Biden administration made," he said. "What Trump is doing is unprecedented in American history ... This should not be through the lens or prism of red, in American vernacular, versus blue."Then he held an hour-long roundtable meeting with representatives from major investment funds, philanthropies, development banks and energy leaders, who he said pushed him to bolster economic ties in existing voluntary agreements with Brazilian governments.Newsom told POLITICO he and his team were getting a "disproportionate number of calls" to meet on the sidelines of the talks, where the U.S. government’s delegation numbers zero ("not even a note taker," Newsom said.)"We’re at peak influence because of the flatness of the surrounding terrain with the Trump administration and all the anxiety," Newsom said in an interview in São Paulo.Newsom is playing a well-rehearsed role for California, which has staked out a leading role in international climate diplomacy for decades under both Democratic and Republican governors, including during Trump's first term. The Trump administration’s dismantling of climate policies to favor oil and gas interests only give California more space to fill, said former Gov. Jerry Brown, who got a hero’s welcome himself at the United Nations climate talks in 2017, the first year of Trump 1.0."Trump, he's saying one thing," Brown said in an interview. "Newsom is saying something else, very important." The impact, he said, will be determined in Belém. "That's why it's exciting. There's not an answer yet."That gives Newsom an opening — and a risk. Where Brown led a coalition of states eager to demonstrate continued commitment on climate in Trump's first term, Newsom will arrive in Belém, near the mouth of the Amazon River, at a time when U.S. politics are tilting rightward and even Democrats are pulling back on embracing climate policies.And there’s little Newsom’s team, which includes ex-State Department climate negotiators, can actually do in the closed-door talks reserved for countries. But the governor’s goal is to influence from just outside the door."We're in every room, because California has been the inspiration for a lot of these jurisdictions," he told POLITICO.Newsom's heading next to Belém, where he’s scheduled to meet with other subnational leaders and renew environmental pacts with other countries and states — starting on Tuesday with the environment ministers from Germany and the German state of Baden-Württemburg, which Brown first partnered with to promote the soft power of subnational governments during Trump’s first term. Newsom said he would also meet with representatives from Chile. He’s also expected to give plenary remarks at the UN.After that, he’ll head deeper into the Amazon rainforest to meet with Indigenous communities on conservation — one of the goals of the Brazilian organizers of the climate talks. Newsom said he saw the visit to the Amazon as a spiritual opportunity."It connects us to our creator," he said. "It connects us to thousands and thousands of generations."Like this content? Consider signing up for POLITICO’s California Climate newsletter.

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Newsom brings California to the heart of the Amazon — and the U.N. climate conference

California state officials are in Brazil for the annual United Nations climate conference. The visit highlights California’s role as a climate leader and supports its environmental policies, especially since the U.S. has no official federal delegation. However, some critics question whether the trip is worthwhile because California lacks the power to make international agreements.

In summary California state officials are in Brazil for the annual United Nations climate conference. The visit highlights California’s role as a climate leader and supports its environmental policies, especially since the U.S. has no official federal delegation. However, some critics question whether the trip is worthwhile because California lacks the power to make international agreements. California likes to think of itself as a nation — and this week, it’s acting like one. Gov. Gavin Newsom, top state officials and legislators are leading a delegation to the United Nations’ 30th Conference of Parties this week in Belém, a gateway to Brazil’s Amazon region. The state has no seat in the rooms where nations will negotiate their commitments under international law to curbing greenhouse gases. But California and the governor are there anyway, to project his and the state’s climate message onto the global stage. “The reason I’m here is the absence of leadership coming from the United States — this vacuum, it’s rather jaw dropping,” Newsom said Monday in São Paulo, speaking at the Milken Institute Global Investors’ Symposium. “Not even an observer; not someone taking notes.” After the Trump administration withdrew the U.S. from the Paris Agreement for the second time earlier this year, California was left symbolically standing in for a United States government. Supporters say the annual global climate conference is worth it, pointing to policies inspired by and partnerships formed at past conferences. But environmental justice advocates question the value of these excursions, arguing the events are too distant and industry-driven to reflect frontline communities. California’s presence on the world stage may matter more than ever, experts said — but the state can’t substitute for the world’s leading superpower. Although it’s Newsom’s first time at the summit, he has sent state representatives to every event since he took office. “If we weren’t doing things like this, then the rest of the world would be even more puzzled as to what’s going on inside the United States,” said UC San Diego climate expert David G. Victor. “The symbolic value of showing that the United States has not completely abandoned climate and clean energy…is pretty important for the rest of the world, but there’s not a huge caloric value to it.” International events influence state policy California officials who attend the climate conference say they foster relationships with international leaders that influence policy, both through subnational agreements and through legislative efforts. “Californians have been very clear that we also need to take actions … to combat climate change,” said state Natural Resources Agency Secretary Wade Crowfoot, part of the delegation to Brazil. “And simply put, it doesn’t make any sense that all of the answers would be found in California.” As a strategy to achieve its goals, California has signed dozens of agreements with other regional governments and some nations, including Mexico, Australia and Denmark. In August, Newsom signed an agreement with Denmark committing to achieve carbon neutrality by 2045 — a goal established in an executive order and in state law — and to collaborate on ways to improve cyber resilience. In March, the state entered an agreement with the Mexican state of Sonora to expand renewable electricity generation and cross-border energy trade. The state’s relationship with Denmark has helped California gain access to technology to better manage its water systems, Crowfoot added. Using that geophysical imaging technology, Stanford researchers were able to map the state’s groundwater system as part of a joint study. Legislators say the climate conference itself has brought solutions from abroad to local problems. Sen. Anna Caballero, a Democrat who represents Merced, said severe climate impacts to her region prompted her to look for answers internationally. In 2023, she traveled to the U.N. summit in Dubai – in part, she said, looking for climate solutions that would keep workers in her region employed as the state transitions away from fossil fuels. “I’ve been concerned with the lack of investments that actually make a difference in rural and poorly resourced communities,” Caballero said. “So I was looking for alternatives.” The Dubai trip inspired a number of bills, she said, including one that directs the state Air Resources Board to develop carbon capture and sequestration technologies to meet greenhouse gas reduction goals. Newsom signed the bill into law in 2022. Caballero said she has met with people from the Amazon who are affected by climate change, and “it was very moving,” she said. “The impact we have on the world is tremendous, and we just need to be more sensitive to that.” What’s in it for state leaders? With the fourth-largest economy in the world, California wields clout even without being directly involved in global climate talks. Newsom is continuing a decades-long tradition of state governors who have used the U.N. summit as a chance to cement their status as climate leaders and substitute diplomats. Arnold Schwarzenegger was the first California governor to attend the conference, flying to Copenhagen in 2009. Then, Jerry Brown attended the 2015 summit where the United Nations signed the Paris agreement, a legally-binding treaty aimed at limiting global temperature rise to well below 2 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels. That year, Brown started the Under 2 Coalition, a group of 200 subnational governments that share knowledge with each other to work toward that goal. It’s Newsom’s first time attending the international conference, but he has burnished his profile as a climate leader by travelling to other events. In the past, Newsom has appeared regularly at Climate Week in New York City, where he told a United Nations summit in 2023 that “this climate crisis is a fossil fuel crisis.” This year, however, he has moderated his posture toward the fossil fuel industry, advancing legislation to expand drilling in Kern County and slowing certain regulations. In 2023, he also traveled to China to promote California’s zero-emission vehicle agenda. He was named co-chair of the U.N. summit’s newly-formed Local Leaders Forum, a group of regional and state leaders that met in Rio de Janeiro the week before the conference to discuss subnational strategies to reduce emission. So far at events around the conference in Brazil, Newsom has highlighted the state’s progress in deploying electric cars, extending its cap and trade program through 2045 and increasingly running the grid on renewable energy such as wind, solar, and battery storage. “The state of California has been a consistent partner for a half century, and will continue to be for decades to come,” he said. For Newsom, attending the conference is also about positioning himself as a global leader as he considers a 2028 presidential run. Shannon Gibson, a University of Southern California professor who teaches global climate policy, said the U.N. summit offers a massive international stage, media coverage and access to world leaders that help Newsom advance his climate agenda. It’s not a bad place for Newsom to showcase his presidential leadership abilities, she added. “It’s the ability to network and rub elbows with high level leaders, prime ministers and presidents from all around the world,” Gibson said. “It does present an international stage where Gov. Newsom could take his domestic policies and advance them at that global level.” Not everyone sees the governor’s global spotlight as a virtue. State Senator Tony Strickland, a Republican from Huntington Beach, said Newsom should be tackling the state’s affordability crisis instead of viewing every decision through the lens of a future presidential run. “We have major problems here in California,” Strickland said. “We need a leader to solve these problems.” Costs & Controversy A private nonprofit tied to the governor paid for Newsom’s trip to Brazil. The non-profit helps fund a range of official travel and ceremonial events, drawing money both from his inaugural committees and outside donors. The California State Protocol Foundation is a charitable nonprofit corporation whose purpose is “to lessen the burden on California taxpayers by relieving the state of California of its obligations to fund certain expenditures.” The Governor’s own inaugural committees have contributed at least $5 million since 2019, according to data from the Fair Political Practices Commission reviewed by CalMatters. The governor established inaugural committees to pay for events and official activities surrounding his 2019 and 2023 inaugurations. The protocol foundation has drawn a range of outside donors to pay for state officials’ international travel – not just to climate conferences. The Hewlett Foundation provided $300,000 in 2023 to support the Governor’s climate-focused trip to China. The Los Angeles Dodgers contributed $25,000 in 2021 to help underwrite his State of the State address at Dodger Stadium. “We don’t live in an ideal world,” said Jessica A. Levinson, a law professor at Loyola Marymount Law School in Los Angeles and former president of the Los Angeles Ethics Commission. “On the one hand, you’re trying to protect our scarcest resource, which is taxpayer dollars,” she continued, “on the other hand, you are, of course, allowing private influence over public officials.” Legislators said they cover their expenses to attend international climate conferences with campaign funds and their own money. And in 2021, two nonprofits, the Climate Action Reserve and the Climate Registry covered some costs for lawmakers to attend the event in Scotland. That year, the Assembly covered the costs for a few security staff to accompany them – funded by taxpayer dollars. This year, there is no extra security or staff accompanying the two legislators attending: Senator Josh Becker, a Democrat from Menlo Park, and Senator Henry Stern, a Democrat from the Calabasas area. Recently, environmental justice and indigenous communities have criticized the U.N.’s choices to hold events in regions that have an economic interest in fossil fuels: Dubai in 2023 and Azerbaijan in 2024. This year’s conference is also controversial for some, because it’s located in populous but remote Belém, which some say lacks sufficient infrastructure. Attendees took multiple planes to reach the city, and hotel options are limited. Caballero said she opted out of attending the conference this year, as she did last year, because of the length of the journey. “I would go in a heartbeat,” she said, “if it weren’t for the inconvenient travel.” Environmental groups are skeptical Schwarzenegger was seen as a trailblazer when he first attended the U.N. conference. But more than a decade later, he offered a different perspective: bringing world leaders together to commit to the same goals year after year is a waste of time. “The definition of insanity is you do the same thing over and over again and expect different results,” he said. “When it comes to the negotiations with the U.N., these COP kind of agreements, I think it’s set up the wrong way.” Critics question the practical value of California’s presence around international climate talks. The state’s subnational agreements are largely aspirational. Environmental activists, who lack access to international talks and funds to attend conferences, raise concerns about how well state agencies represent local interests abroad. “In a lot of ways, it seems like it’s a pretty performative meeting,” said Catherine Garoupa, executive director of the Central Valley Air Quality Coalition and a member of the Air Resources Board’s environmental justice advisory committee. “I’ve never had a conversation or been consulted by anyone who participates in that forum.” Jaron Browne, an Oakland organizer with the Grassroots Global Justice Alliance, traveled to Belém for the People’s Climate Summit, a parallel gathering where activists and Indigenous leaders called for fairer climate policies, stronger land protections, and accountability for major polluters. Browne said that while California speaks with urgency on climate, its continued reliance on imported crude oil undercuts that message. What communities near the fencelines of refineries and other industrial polluters want is to stop pollution at its source, said Browne. The bigger problem, he added, is that carbon markets like California’s cap-and-trade system let companies keep polluting while claiming progress by buying offsets or funding forest projects. “Thank God we have a voice that is speaking about the urgency of the crisis, and that’s very important, and taking some really important progressive stances,” Browne said. At the same time, “we talk out of both sides of our mouths.”

Climate

Activism

Energy

Suggested Viewing

Rise and Fall

A film to provide an awareness of climate change and the individual measures we can take to combat it. The production process of Rise and Fall began as your stereotypical documentary meant to showcase various aspects of the Earth and Ocean Sciences Department at UNCW. Still, as the interview process was underway, it was quickly decided to move in another direction. It is an essay film about the science of climate change, what we can do in our day-to-day lives to combat it, and its impacts. Without using talking heads, the images of the natural world provide a sensual look at what will be affected by climate change.

Climate

Nature

Documentary

The Wisdom To Survive: Climate Change, Capitalism & Community

This film reveals how diverse environmental problems, from climate change to species extinction to ruined ecosystems, are all ultimately rooted in the “growth at all costs” attitude that pervades modern industrial society. Through beautiful and disturbing images and interviews with ecological scholars, spiritual leaders and activists, The Wisdom to Survive argues that the survival of humanity and most living beings on the planet will not come from technology, but from a profound raising of consciousness and deep spiritual transformation of humans who finally realize that we must live differently on planet earth.

Climate

Business

Extinction

Can't Stop Change: Queer Climate Stories from the Florida Frontlines

As Florida's violent legislation dominates headlines, LGBTQ2S+ communities are also on the frontlines of accelerating climate change. “Can’t Stop Change: Queer Climate Stories from the Florida Frontlines” weaves interviews with 15 LGBTQ2S+ artists, organizers, and educators across Florida (and the new Florida diaspora) into an intersectional climate justice narrative.

Social Justice

Activism

Climate

Eating the Future

Bafta-winner Mia McKenna-Bruce voices an eco-investigator who is traumatised by her work accessing factory farms and documenting animal abuses undercover. Terrified of a future of climate apocalypse, she embarks on a journey into the food systems that shape our planet, to look for hope.

Activism

Climate

Food

Sustainable Living with Patrick Lang

A day in the life of Patrick Lang living a sustainable life in Malibu… filmed before his home and community were consumed by fire in the fall of 2018.

Sustainable

Land Use

Solutions

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Climate-sceptic IPA refuses to reveal funders in fiery Senate inquiry

Related News

Protesters break into COP30 venue in Brazil

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Suggested Viewing

Rise and Fall

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Eating the Future

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Join us to forgea sustainable future

sign up for our mailing list to stay informed on the latest films and environmental headlines.

Join us to forge
a sustainable future