Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers     Photo: Steve Apps, State Journal

Wisconsin’s new Governor Tony Evers announced on Tuesday that the state would become the 21st to join the U.S. Climate Alliance and meet the climate change reduction targets set by the Paris Agreement.  By adding Wisconsin, the states that have joined the Alliance represent nearly half the U.S. population and combined have economies worth over $10 trillion.  By joining the Alliance, the members agree to:

• Implement policies that advance the goals of the Paris Agreement, aiming to reduce greenhouse gas emission by at least 26-28 percent below 2005 levels by 2025,
• Track and report progress to the global community in appropriate settings, including when the world convenes to take stock of the Paris Agreement, and
• Accelerate new and existing policies to reduce carbon pollution and promote clean energy deployment at the state and federal level.

In a statement, the Governor said, “It’s a new day in Wisconsin and it’s time to lead our state in a new direction where we embrace science, where we discuss the very real implications of climate change, where we work to find solutions, and where we invest in renewable energy. By joining the U.S. Climate Alliance, we will have support in demonstrating that we can take climate action while growing our economy at the same time.”

• The climate and clean energy policies of the Climate Alliance states have created 1.6 million renewable energy and energy efficiency jobs, equivalent to over half of all clean energy jobs in the United States.
• Policies on climate and clean energy in Alliance states now control 35 percent of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions.

Wisconsin’s Lt. Governor also promised to explore energy efficiency and savings goals, and to focus on “better understanding how climate change is disproportionately affecting communities of color and how it’s impacting our farmers and the most rural parts of our state.”

Why This Matters:  Wisconsin joins its neighbor Michigan in reversing the policies of its former Republican Governor and is making a real commitment to combat climate change.  This is another key state in the 2020 election, and demonstrating that fighting climate change is not a drag on the economy but instead will create jobs will be important to both the state, and likely in the Presidential campaign.  Wisconsin could prove to be decisive again in the next election just as it was in 2016.