{"id":22359,"date":"2021-01-27T12:27:00","date_gmt":"2021-01-27T19:27:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/plantingseedsblog.cdfa.ca.gov\/wordpress\/?p=22359"},"modified":"2021-01-27T12:27:00","modified_gmt":"2021-01-27T19:27:00","slug":"california-welcomes-biden-administration-actions-on-climate-change","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/plantingseedsblog.cdfa.ca.gov\/wordpress\/index.php\/2021\/01\/27\/california-welcomes-biden-administration-actions-on-climate-change\/","title":{"rendered":"California welcomes Biden Administration actions on climate change"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Statement from CDFA secretary Karen Ross:<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I am eager to work with my friend and former boss Secretary Tom Vilsack to expand climate smart agriculture practices to more acres of farm and ranch land!\u00a0 CDFA\u2019s climate smart ag programs<\/a> have been built on the great work at USDA under Secretary Vilsack’s previous leadership to create the climate smart ag building blocks and advance climate smart ag global alliances.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

USDA\u2019s Natural Resource Conservation Service is a trusted partner offering technical standards for proven conservation practices and cost-share programs.\u00a0 We have followed that NRCS model to offer voluntary practices, incentive funding, and technical assistance to build soil health, reduce greenhouse emissions, sequester carbon, improve nutrient cycling, generate renewable energy, and enhance biodiversity.\u00a0 <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We have great partnerships with the University of California Cooperative Extension and academia, rural conservation districts, ag and environmental organizations and other technical service providers to expand the infrastructure of climate smart ag support throughout California.\u00a0 <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, at the end of the day, it is the leadership and innovation of our farmers and ranchers who live and work on the land \u2013 whether as new beginning farmers or fifth-generation and sixth-generation families \u2013 that will help California meet its carbon neutral goals.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

———–<\/p>\n\n\n\n

News Release<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the same day the Biden Administration announced a series of actions on climate, California environmental officials convened hundreds of stakeholders to begin advancing Governor Gavin Newsom\u2019s first-in-the-nation goal to protect 30 percent of the state\u2019s land and coastal waters by 2030 to fight species loss and ecosystem destruction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last year, California joined a global effort than now includes more than 50 countries to protect 30 percent of our planet\u2019s land and waters by 2030. Today\u2019s announcement by President Biden means the United States is now added to the list as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCalifornia has long taken on the mantle of global climate leadership advancing bold strategies to fight climate change \u2013 including committing to protect 30 percent of our land and coastal waters by 2030,\u201d said Governor Newsom. \u201cIt\u2019s great to have a partner in Washington, D.C. once again that listens to science and is ready to take on this existential threat and get to work to help slow and avert catastrophic climate change.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

California committed to protecting 30 percent of land and coastal waters by 2030 last October when Governor Newsom signed an executive order<\/a> directing state agencies to accelerate actions to combat climate change, protect biodiversity, expand equitable access and build resilience through nature-based solutions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The agencies convened a public webinar today to kick off a collaborative effort to advance the 30 by 30 commitment and begin work on a Natural and Working Lands Climate Smart Strategy to be delivered later this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNature-based solutions to combat climate change have long been a missing piece of our climate agenda, and we are closing this gap in California,\u201d California Secretary for Natural Resources Wade Crowfoot said. \u201cThe science is clear that our iconic landscapes remove carbon from the atmosphere and protect people and nature from the impacts of climate change \u2013 reducing risk of catastrophic wildfire, absorbing floodwater, cooling communities, providing habitat, and more. While the portfolio of nature-based solutions is vast, they all support healthy ecosystems on which all our wellbeing depends.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Today’s action from the Biden Administration marks a commitment to elevating climate and environmental justice to the top of our collective agenda. Protecting nature and restoring our lands and waters is fundamental for life on this earth \u2013 everything from clean air and drinking water to our shared food systems and the biodiversity that keeps our planet health,\u201d California Secretary for Environmental Protection Jared Blumenfeld said. \u201cWe also know that preserving these invaluable resources means little if people are still left with the burden of polluting industries in their neighborhoods and without access to the same investments made elsewhere. That\u2019s why we are equally proud and excited to see the Administration\u2019s focus on 40 percent of all investments going to the most disadvantaged communities and the integration of not just climate, but racial justice, into all federal agency actions.  We welcome the Biden Administration\u2019s partnership in taking bold action now.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe welcome a strong and renewed partnership with the federal government to scale-up climate smart agriculture, not just in California but across the country,\u201d California Secretary for Agriculture Karen Ross said. \u201cCalifornia\u2019s record of investment in climate smart agricultural practices to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and sequester carbon demonstrates the possibility of a vibrant future led by farmers and ranchers in creating an agri-food system that produces abundant and nutritious food, natural fiber, and clean energy to achieve prosperity for our rural communities.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Examples of nature-based solutions include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n