California and France are launching a new partnership on clean energy, resilience to climate change and environmental protection. In San Francisco, Governor Gavin Newsom and France's Minister for Ecological Transition, Biodiversity and International Negotiations on Climate and Nature, Monique Barbut, signed a letter of intent. According to the governor's office, the aim is to connect public agencies, researchers and businesses so they can share solutions to common environmental and energy challenges.
The initiative builds on more than ten years of cooperation and both sides' shared commitment to carbon neutrality. The California Environmental Protection Agency, known as CalEPA, will coordinate California's efforts. The agency will work with the French ministry to draw up an action plan that turns the agreed priorities into specific collaborations. The signing therefore establishes the framework for this effort, with implementation as the next step.
The first priority is protecting communities from wildfires and extreme heat. As the announcement states, both sides face devastating fires, drought, floods and heat waves linked to climate change. They plan to share approaches to preventing fires, limiting their impact and reducing heat-related illness. The partnership seeks to draw on each side's experience in dealing with these risks.
On energy, the letter of intent provides for exchanges between France's electricity transmission operator and California's energy agencies and grid operator. The focus is on expanding clean energy and modernizing electricity grids. Both sides will also examine how artificial intelligence affects electricity demand and how it could help improve grids. Building energy efficiency is also among the priorities.
On transport, the partnership will support the exchange of knowledge on reducing pollution, including through high-speed rail links. In agriculture, the planned areas include practices adapted to climate conditions, agricultural technologies and sustainable pest management. Nature-based solutions will also be explored. California and France share the goal of protecting 30% of their land and coastal waters by 2030.
Another area concerns air quality, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and cutting waste. The announcement identifies methane as an area for cooperation on reducing emissions. It also provides for exchanges on ways to keep materials in use and reduce waste. These aims form part of the new partnership's broader environmental protection framework.
The economic dimension includes connecting researchers and businesses, strengthening trade relations and supporting innovation. The letter provides for an exchange of ideas between the Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development and the Consulate General of France in San Francisco. It also includes public-private partnerships for climate and environmental solutions, such as clean energy technologies. According to the announcement, these contacts aim to find partners and turn research ideas into practical applications.
The agreement adds to more than 70 international partnerships that, according to the governor's office, have been established during Newsom's tenure. The announcement also gives examples of earlier partnerships with specific applications: in 2025, British Columbia sent incident management specialists to California for the Palisades fire, while CAL FIRE deployed personnel to British Columbia during the wildfire season. It also states that cooperation with Denmark on groundwater mapping, leak detection and efficient water use has supported related state programs.
As energy background to the initiative, the announcement states that more than 37,000 megawatts of capacity from large-scale clean and renewable energy facilities have been added to California's grid since 2019. Battery storage capacity increased from less than 700 to more than 21,000 megawatts. According to the figures cited for the end of 2024, 67% of retail electricity sales came from clean sources. The state's goal is to obtain all its electricity from clean sources by 2045.
The announcement also links this transition to employment, citing a 2025 E2 report. According to the report, 552,300 people worked in clean energy technologies in California, while the sector added nearly 7,300 workers in 2024. These figures describe the state's existing energy and economic activity. The benefits of the new partnership between France and California remain goals to be achieved through the action plan and the exchanges provided for in the letter of intent.
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