Building Climate Resilience: Wade Crowfoot on California’s Land, Water, and Energy Systems

In conversation with VX News, California Natural Resources Secretary Wade Crowfoot discusses advancing climate resilience across land, water, and energy systems as extreme weather intensifies. From wildfire resilience and biodiversity restoration to the state’s long-term Water Supply Strategy for a Hotter, Drier Future, Crowfoot outlines how California is preparing for a projected 10 percent decline in water supply while supporting a population of nearly 40 million people.

He also explains how Proposition 4—the $10 billion Climate Bond approved by voters—is funding projects across California to strengthen landscapes, expand green infrastructure, and protect communities from wildfire, drought, flooding, and extreme heat. Looking ahead, Crowfoot points to the need for continued innovation, streamlined permitting, and a diversified water supply to sustain California’s economy and ecosystems while maintaining its leadership in the global clean-energy transition.

“...[the idea to] double down on the technologies of the past simply doesn’t hold up…Around the world—China, Europe, or others—major economies are continuing to invest in the clean-energy transition because they know it represents the future.” - Secretary Wade Crowfoot

Secretary Crowfoot, for readers who may not fully appreciate the extent of your work, reintroduce the California Natural Resources Agency—its scope, jurisdiction, and the system of departments and programs you oversee.

The California Natural Resources Agency is responsible for stewarding the state’s land, water, wildlife, and natural landscapes. Our mission is to help all Californians—and nature itself—thrive together.

We’re about 26,000 people strong and oversee a wide range of departments that many Californians know well, including CAL FIRE, State Parks, the Department of Fish and Wildlife, and the Department of Water Resources. 

The agency also includes the California Energy Commission, the Coastal Commission, and the Department of Conservation, which manages land conservation efforts and oversees fossil fuel extraction. Beyond these efforts, we also work through ten regional conservancies across the state and even manage places like Exposition Park in Los Angeles. 

It’s a very broad portfolio—one that touches nearly every aspect of California’s natural systems.

As California confronts wildfire risk, water volatility, biodiversity loss, and the demands of climate adaptation simultaneously, and given the sheer frequency of extreme weather events, how do you prioritize?

Well, it’s been a hell of eight years. I started when Governor Newsom started, and in that time we’ve experienced one of the worst droughts in history, easily the worst wildfire seasons, some of the worst flooding, the longest and hottest heat waves, and we’re dealing with sea-level rise and coastal erosion. 

It’s a lot, and California has a Mediterranean climate, so we experience impacts similar to other Mediterranean regions around the world, including parts of Europe, Australia, Chile, South Africa. All of these places are seeing climate impacts play out in similar ways.

The good news? California has a lot of resources and focus. 

As you know, our State government and communities are really leading the world in driving where we need to go, which is phasing out fossil fuels and achieving 100 percent clean energy. We have a state law to achieve net zero, or carbon neutrality, in the next twenty years, which is a big deal. As the fourth-largest economy in the world, we're making tremendous progress. Case in point: about two-thirds of the energy consumed in California right now is clean energy.

At the same time, as we make this transition, we know we have to do more to protect people and landscapes from the impacts that are already here. So we have very clear action plans and priorities for each of these threats. In fact, I was just on a Zoom with the Governor’s Office and CAL FIRE discussing the next iteration of our Wildfire Resilience Action Plan. It’s organized, but there’s still a lot more work to do.

Following up, as the federal government is now taking positions often in opposition to California’s climate agenda, how do you respond to those who argue that our environmental policies discourage jobs or investment?

First of all, I’d remind people that our country has a system of federalism that vests a lot of authority in the states. After all, we are the United States of America. 

Over the past twenty years we’ve seen the pendulum swing at the federal level, but California—under both Republican and Democratic governors—has remained focused on moving forward on reducing pollution and building a clean-energy economy. It’s really a fallacy to say the economics don’t support this transition, and just this week, we’re seeing tremendous volatility in gasoline prices tied to geopolitical conflict. What a great example of the risks we face if we continue to rely on finite fossil fuels that are tied to global geopolitical dynamics.

California has reduced pollution over the last twenty years while growing our economy, and we’ve done that in part by capturing a significant share of clean-energy investment. Not only are we improving the health and well-being of Californians, but we’re also creating true economic opportunity. 

I’d say that’s not to sugarcoat the complexity…California was really first out of the gate with AB 32—the law that established binding requirements to reduce greenhouse-gas pollution, and now we’re further down the field with clean energy, transportation, and buildings.

So, there’s real complexity in making this transition, and investments required, but the idea that the best economic strategy is to double down on the technologies of the past simply doesn’t hold up. Around the world—China, Europe, or others—major economies are continuing to invest in the clean-energy transition because they know it represents the future.

Speaking of the transition, last Fall, voters approved Proposition 4. Elaborate on its significance, and how it’ll fuel smart investments to protect communities.

California voters approved what we call the climate bond. Essentially, it’s a general obligation bond that allows the state to borrow $10 billion up front to invest in protecting people and landscapes from climate change and supporting the transition already underway. Those funds are already being invested in protecting communities from wildfire, building regional resilience to both drought and flooding, and helping communities establish the infrastructure—and green infrastructure—they need to withstand increasing heat waves.

The good news is, Californians understand this challenge and connect the dots. Climate change is impacting their lives and their future, and we have to invest if we want to weather these changes and continue to thrive. The climate bond is a really big deal, and the Legislature deserves a lot of credit for putting it on the ballot. Our voters overwhelmingly approved it.

Our responsibility now both within our Agency and across State government—is to get the funding out the door as quickly and efficiently as possible, measure outcomes, and show Californians these are smart investments. Over Governor Newsom’s administration, the Legislature has invested more than $40 billion in protecting Californians from climate impacts and advancing this transition, and we have a lot of progress to show for it.

You’ve referenced the state’s goal of accelerating “shovels-in-the-ground” projects.

But first, what do estimates suggest regarding the economic cost of recent, and more frequent climate events for Californians?

Tens of billions of dollars. At the end of the day, when we respond to disasters on an emergency basis—wildfires, for example, like the horrific firestorm in Los Angeles last year—those response costs are multiples of what it would cost to prevent or reduce those impacts in the first place.

A ratio often used with wildfire resilience is that every $1 invested in prevention can avoid roughly $7 in response costs if a wildfire ultimately burns into communities. Most people intuitively understand the idea that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. That’s really what these investments represent—helping California adjust to a changing climate so communities can continue to thrive and we rely less on emergency response.

It’s similar to healthcare. In an emergency room you always keep the patient alive, but it’s far better for the patient and much more affordable for the system, to keep them healthy in the first place.

Returning to Proposition 4, could you elaborate on the deployment of funds?

They’re being deployed across many agencies throughout California. In Southern California, for example, the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy received early action funding from the Legislature and the Governor for fire safety projects. I recently visited and saw those investments happening on the ground.

The Rivers and Mountains Conservancy in the greater Los Angeles area is also receiving funding, along with the Coastal Conservancy, the Sierra Nevada Conservancy, and departments such as State Parks and CAL FIRE. 

In total, there are about 114 different funding programs within the climate bond. Anyone can simply search “California climate bond” and find a website that outlines all of these programs so communities and organizations can identify opportunities to access funding and protect their communities from climate impacts.

Recently, the state approved nearly $60 million for biodiversity projects and expanded public access to nature.

Step back and explain how investments in landscape restoration and biodiversity fit into California’s broader climate and resilience strategy.

I’m really proud of the progress we’ve made over the past eight years integrating nature into our climate strategy and into how we think about building stronger communities. Simply put, nature is not a place we visit. Nature is home. That’s a Gary Snyder quote that’s actually displayed on the first floor of our building here in Sacramento.

The point is that we rely on healthy natural systems for water, clean air, and protection from climate impacts. Investments in California’s natural landscapes support fish and wildlife and the incredible biological diversity we have here—but they also directly benefit people.

The climate bond invests more than $1 billion of its $10 billion total into nature protection and restoration. That funding is already supporting projects that improve river health for fish and aquatic life while also improving water quality. We’re conserving sensitive lands through partnerships with land trusts and resource conservation districts that protect habitats for rare plants and animals. And in many cases we’re expanding public access so more Californians can enjoy these landscapes.

The idea is simple: when we restore and protect California’s natural systems, we do it not only for the environment but also for the quality of life of Californians.

Restoration, wildfire resilience, and clean-energy projects often face long permitting timelines. What progress has California made in streamlining approvals so these “shovels-in-the-ground” projects can move forward more quickly?

That’s a major priority in Sacramento right now. We have to move faster than we have in the past. Many of the processes and permitting structures we built over time—often with good intentions—have slowed the ability to get beneficial projects done.

Six years ago we launched what’s called the Cutting Green Tape initiative to help restoration projects move forward more quickly. Conservation groups told us that up to a third of their project budgets were being consumed by environmental permitting, and even for projects that were purely environmentally beneficial. We worked to streamline those processes and reduce both the cost and time required to get projects underway. 

More recently we’ve done something similar for wildfire safety projects. Over the past year we’ve streamlined nearly 300 projects designed to protect communities, which are things like fuel breaks or landscape management around populated areas.

We’ve allowed my office and our colleagues at CalEPA to waive certain permitting requirements under laws like CEQA, the Coastal Act, and the Endangered Species Act when projects follow a clear environmental protection plan, which is about 13 pages of protective measures. As a result, those projects can move forward much faster while still maintaining strong environmental protections, and that’s the proof. We can speed things up without abandoning the standards that protect California’s environment.

If the above challenges are not enough…let’s pivot to water. 

The California Water Plan for 2026–2028 is now being shaped. Elaborate on its significance and what you hope it will achieve.

California has a Mediterranean climate, which means we have a wet season and a dry season. For decades we depended on an average amount of water supply over a series of years. We’ve always been prone to droughts and floods, but those swings are becoming more intense over time.

At the same time, rising temperatures mean that, according to scientists, within about twenty years we’ll still have wet years and dry years—but on average we’ll lose about 10 percent of our water supply from rain and snow.

We have to prepare to make up that roughly 10 percent gap, because we have an economy to sustain and nearly 40 million people who depend on reliable water. We began addressing this in 2023 with what we call our Water Supply Strategy for a Hotter, Drier Future. 

The core question is: where will we find that additional nine million acre-feet of water—roughly the equivalent of that 10 percent loss?

The answer is diversification. We need to double down on conservation and efficiency, eliminate leaks in water systems, expand water recycling, capture stormwater in our cities, and recharge groundwater basins. We’re also evaluating smart, targeted expansion of above-ground storage where it makes sense, and even considering environmentally responsible desalination. Desal has come a long way over the past several decades.

At the same time, we have to improve the health of our rivers. That’s why we have a companion effort—the Salmon Strategy—because salmon and steelhead are really keystone species that reflect the health of our river systems. The climate bond is helping fund these efforts, but we’re also holding ourselves accountable. The Legislature and the governor have put requirements in law that push us to diversify water supplies and strengthen the resilience of our rivers and waterways.

We’re making progress. I’m actually quite optimistic about California’s water future. But we have to keep investing and recognize that the conditions are worsening, which means we can’t sit on our hands, even after a relatively wet year.

Secretary, is CNRA involved in the ongoing negotiations over the future of the Colorado River Basin?

Yes, we’re centrally involved. About 40 million Americans depend on water from the Colorado River Basin, and roughly half of them are in California. We’re working closely with the other basin states to find a shared path forward. The reality is that the Colorado River is another victim of climate change. The allocations that were negotiated more than a century ago assumed a much larger and more reliable water supply. That’s no longer the case.

We now have to figure out, across the seven basin states and with our partners in Mexico, how to do more with less water. That’s a very challenging conversation, but it’s an essential one.

To conclude, and looking ahead to the VerdeXchange Conference this spring, what signals should our attendees watch for that suggest California’s environmental ambitions remain achievable?

The key question is whether California stays the course on the vision we’ve set: to be a global leader in reducing pollution, achieving carbon neutrality, and using that transition as an economic strategy for the future. The policy headwinds we’re seeing at the federal level are real, and California needs to stay focused. Not only for our own economic future but also as a model for others.

The other signal to watch is innovation, and we are guided by a few questions: How do we unleash technological innovation and management innovation to actually get these projects built? Where do we learn from experts? How can we best identify the proven models across California and scale them more quickly?

I’m incredibly proud of the progress we’ve made over the course of Governor Newsom’s administration. But we also know the work ahead is significant, and that’s why gatherings like VerdeXchange matter. They help bring together the people, ideas, and partnerships needed to keep moving forward, and David, I give you and the VerdeXchange team a lot of credit for creating that space year after year.

Thank you Secretary Crowfoot.