California Must Fund Nature-Based Climate Solutions at Scale
This month, we joined dozens of environmental, agricultural, public health, and tribal organizations—including the Sierra Club, Natural Resources Defense Council, California Climate & Agriculture Network, and the Yurok Tribe—in calling on Governor Newsom and the California Legislature to prioritize nature-based solutions in the state's climate investment strategy.
In a letter addressed to state leaders, we urged a significant and sustained allocation of Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF) revenues to California's natural, working, and urban lands—landscapes that are among the state's most powerful yet underfunded tools in the fight against climate change.
California's ability to meet its climate targets under AB 1757—and its broader goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2045—depends on it.
Climate Resilience Rooted in Nature
From wildfire-resilient forests and restored wetlands to greener cities and regenerative farms, nature-based climate solutions offer some of the most cost-effective, high-impact returns on investment. These efforts reduce emissions, sequester carbon, protect biodiversity, and strengthen the physical and economic resilience of our communities.
The science is clear: Every $1 spent on climate resilience and preparedness yields an estimated $13 in avoided damages, recovery costs, and disruptions. At a time when Californians face mounting costs tied to housing, energy, food, and insurance, nature-based investments don't just fight climate change—they keep life affordable.
Yet most of these landscapes still receive only discretionary or one-time funding, despite their vital role in California's climate and economic health. Without dedicated, ongoing support, we risk falling short on both environmental and equity goals.
Turning the Tide with Proven Programs
The state already has a foundation of successful programs in place—what's missing is scale. Proven, high-demand programs like CAL FIRE's Forest Health and Fire Prevention, CDFA's Healthy Soils Program, and CNRA's Urban Greening grants are routinely oversubscribed. These initiatives directly improve quality of life by reducing wildfire risk, cooling communities, supporting sustainable agriculture, and improving air and water quality.
They also bring jobs. Restoration work, conservation projects, and urban greening support thousands of living-wage jobs statewide, particularly in rural and underserved areas.
"We're facing a $300 billion climate bill in California over the next decade, yet we're still treating our most cost-effective solutions like optional extras," said Chance Cutrano, RRI's Director of Programs. "Every day we delay scaling up nature-based solutions is another day we're choosing expensive disasters over smart prevention. California can't afford this backwards approach any longer."
What We’re Asking For
We are urging the Legislature to:
Dedicate a robust and continuous portion of GGRF revenues to nature-based solutions
Expand support for proven programs in forestry, agriculture, wetland restoration, and urban greening
Reform the Cap-and-Trade system by ending fossil fuel subsidies and redirecting those revenues to public benefit
Advance co-benefits like job creation, climate justice, and health equity alongside emissions reductions
This is not a call for new bureaucracy. This is a call to scale what's working—to fund what communities already know is effective.
A Smarter, Fairer Climate Strategy
California's natural and working lands represent one of the largest untapped opportunities in the fight against climate change. With smart, sustained investment, we can turn these landscapes from climate liabilities into climate assets.
But the window is closing.
As wildfires intensify, heat waves grow deadlier, and food systems become more vulnerable, the cost of inaction is rising—economically, socially, and ecologically. Nature-based solutions aren't a luxury. They are a necessity.